The sweet taste of justice
by Tina619
Summary: Now that Roman & Karolina as well as Dean & Shannon have found their happy-end, will Seth finally find his? Or will his past ruin things with Maxine before they even started? – Sequel to "Please protect me from injustice", "The eye of justice is always watching", "Will justice prevail!" and "Justice has been served".
1. Our journey continues

**THE SWEET TASTE OF JUSTICE**

**Title: The sweet taste of justice**

By: Tina619

Rating: NC-17, sexual content, adult themes, language,

Characters: Seth Rollins x OC, Roman Reigns x OC, Dean Ambrose x OC and many other WWE superstars

Summary: Now that Roman & Karolina as well as Dean & Shannon have found their happy-end, will Seth finally find his? Or will his past ruin things with Maxine before they even started? – Sequel to "Please protect me from injustice", "The eye of justice is always watching", "Will justice prevail?!" and "Justice has been served".

Disclaimer: I do not know or own any of the people in this story who are not born of my imagination. The characters of the WWE superstars are based off of their TV personas. I actually use their gimmick names and not their real-life names as this seems to be easier for everyone to read.

**...**

**Here I am with the first chapter for the sequel to:**

"**Please protect me from injustice****" ( s/9046424/1/Please-protect-me-from-injustice),**

"**The eye of justice is always watching****" ( s/9483245/1/The-eye-of-justice-is-always-watching)**

"**Will justice prevail?!****" ( s/9572393/1/Will-justice-prevail) and "****Justice has been served****" ( s/9856895/1/Justice-has-been-served)**

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I love writing it. I can't believe I'm already starting the fourth story to this series. Who would have thought that back then? Wow!

Thanks so much for the support you've given me for the first four instalments of the series. I hope you stick with me through this one as well ;-)

**...**

Chapter 1: Our journey continues

_*Just arrived in Pensacola. Will be back for RAW on Monday, but who knows that better than you do? ;-) It was good talking to you last night, Maxi. Can't wait to see you again. Seth xx*_

Seth hit the send button and finally shut off the engine of his rental car after parking it in front of Roman and Karo's house, a huge smile on his face. Leni was already one week old and he hadn't seen her or Dylan yet but he knew that it was about damn time.

The job of being the World Heavyweight Champion took its toll on him. Not only on his body but on his mind as well. He hardly had time for his friends or family, always being on the road and doing interviews or photo-shoots. Although he loved being on the top, he was happy that in two weeks he would lose his title to Dolph Ziggler at the next PPV. He wouldn't tell anyone though. Nobody would understand why he was thinking that way, maybe Roman would, but they weren't close enough to talk about something like this anymore.

Seth just hoped that with having less responsibility, he could finally move forward with Maxine. For months they had only been having coffee together, maybe even a dinner once or twice. He didn't know if it was because of his crazy schedule or because she wasn't as interested in him as he was in her. And he honestly was afraid of the answer.

"SETHIE!" Karolina yelled out of nowhere, interrupting this thoughts and bringing him back to reality.

His heart started beating fast in his chest when he saw her. Not because he was still in love with her, but because he had missed her. As a friend, nothing else.

He made his way out of his car as fast as he could so that he could catch her last minute, not expecting her to jump into his arms but he couldn't be happier about it.

"God, I missed you so much," she whispered into his ear, her legs wrapped around his waist while he was holding her close to his body.

"I missed you too, sweetheart," he mumbled, kissing her cheek softly before letting her down on her feet again gently. "Now look at you...where did that bump go?"

He caressed her stomach teasingly, chuckling when she slapped his hand away playfully.

"The bump is over there," she giggled, pointing at Leni who was in Roman's arms just a few feet away from them, the big Samoan leaning against the doorframe and watching the scene in front of him intently. "But I'm still fat though...ugh."

"Will she ever stop bitching about her weight, man?" Seth asked Roman when he finally reached the door, Karo's hand in his, something that was bothering Roman immensely.

"You know she won't," he replied while rolling his eyes theatrically, raising his free hand and making it into a fist, bumping it with Seth's. "It's good to see you again, champ."

"It's good to see you too, dude. And who's that little beauty right here?" he asked, catching a glimpse of Leni whose face was pressed against Roman's strong chest, enjoying her daddy's steady heartbeat which always made her sleep peacefully.

"Let's go inside and I'll introduce you to her. It's a little windy out here," Karo said, dragging her best friend into the house and letting Roman follow them closely.

She was so excited for Seth to finally meet their daughter. She wished he could have been there when she was born but understood that he had responsibilities and obligations he had to fulfil.

Roman somehow felt like a third wheel while he was watching how Seth and Karolina were interacting with each other but he finally had to get into his thick skull that they were just close friends. What more evidence did he need than their joint daughter in his arms?

"So, how was your trip? I bet landing here was a lot of fun. The storm here in Pensacola is crazy at the moment," Karo said with a chuckle, sitting down on the couch next to Seth who wasn't letting Roman and Leni out of sight.

"Same shit, different day. You know that flying is like a car ride for us, isn't it?" he more stated than asked, not really wanting to talk about flights or the weather. "So, can I finally see your daughter?"

"Yeah sure...thanks for the conversation, you idiot," she grumbled but quickly let out a giggle when Seth looked at her confused. "Roman, would you let Seth hold her?"

Roman just nodded his head and moved over so that he was in front of Seth, very cautiously placing his daughter in his friend's arms so that he was sure that she was safe.

"Please meet my beautiful daughter, Leni Elisha Reigns," Roman said proudly, looking at his daughter who immediately felt that she wasn't with her daddy anymore.

"Elisha?" Seth asked, looking at Roman and Karolina curiously.

"Yeah...we've been thinking a lot about giving her this second name but thought we should go for it. It's somehow equivalent to Joshua," she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper.

It had taken them a long time to finally decide that Leni would keep her brother alive by having his name, contemplating if this would be a burden for their daughter along the way but came to the conclusion that it would probably make her proud one day.

"Isn't it a male name though?" Seth wondered, looking at the little baby in his arms, a huge smile spreading across his face.

"It's unisex. Even if the bible says otherwise," Roman chuckled, sitting down in the armchair across from the couch.

"It's a beautiful name," their friend replied, his heart making a big jump when Leni opened her eyes to look at him. "And you are one beautiful little girl."

He couldn't believe how adorable she was. Her eyes were bright blue, her hair as dark as Roman's, even if there weren't a lot on her head yet. She had a little snub nose, just like Karo, and full lips just like her daddy.

"Guys...she's...amazing," he stuttered, trying to count her little fingers when she suddenly wrapped her hand around his index finger tightly. "Good job, Ro. I bet she has you wrapped around her little finger already."

"Damn right. He's putty in her hands," Karo giggled, earning a raised eyebrow from Roman as a consequence. "What? It's true...you do whatever she wants you to."

Seth smirked about their little bantering, feeling that there was so much love and happiness in this room that he couldn't help but be all emotional himself. "Hopefully I'll have such a wonderful daughter as well one day."

Roman and Karo just looked at each other confused, not knowing where this was coming from all of a sudden but it seemed that Seth still hadn't found his happily ever after just yet.

"Are things with this travel agent chick not looking good?" Roman asked curiously, knowing that it was in his best interest that his friend was tied.

"Her name is Maxine, Roman," Karo said annoyed, shaking her head in disbelief at her husband's _'I couldn't care less_' behaviour.

"She's still keeping me on a long leash. We've been meeting occasionally over the last few months and I didn't even get a kiss yet," Seth whined, fascinated by the strength Leni already had as she was still holding his index finger.

"Don't wait to get one, take one," Roman simply said, continuing when Seth remained silent. "That's how I did it."

"Yeah right, you got into a fight and had a busted lip. I just felt sorry for you and let you kiss me," Karo said, yelping when her husband threw a pillow at her.

"So what...you wanted me to fuck you right then and there," he teased, laughing when she looked at him wide-eyed.

"Language, Mr Reigns," she admonished him, looking at their baby with a frown on her face.

Seth couldn't help but laugh about his friends, happy that they both were so in love with each other. He still felt guilty for once trying to destroy all of this but he was relieved that they let him back into their lives after everything that he had done to them.

Leni moved back and forth slightly, making funny noises and tensing up. Her little face was all red and both Karo and Roman knew what this meant.

"I hope you're not sensitive when it comes to nasty smells 'cause my daughter is just soiling her nappy in your arms," Karo giggled, almost cracking up laughing when she saw the shocked expression on Seth's face.

"Uhm...take her back!?" he asked no one in particular, being slightly uncomfortable in the situation he was in now.

"Let her finish her business, man. How would you feel if someone disturbed you in the bathroom?" Roman teased, loving the scene that was playing in front of him.

After just a couple more minutes, Leni seemed to be done and started relaxing again, closing her eyes tightly and smacking her lips, totally comfortable in her uncle's arms.

"She smells," Seth said as a matter of fact, surprised when the little girl turned her face to press it into his chest.

"Lemme change her diaper. Or do you wanna do it?" Roman asked while getting up, winking at Seth when he furiously shook his head no.

He stopped in front of his friend and wanted to get his daughter but was amazed when she grabbed Seth's shirt tightly, whimpering when he tried to take her away from Seth. And that was a first. Normally it was Roman who was her everything. She usually started crying when he let go of her or laid her down and now there was Seth taking his position? It was needless to see he was beyond mad.

"Leni, we really need to change your diaper, young lady. And I'm sure you're hungry as well," he mumbled, removing her tiny hands from Seth's shirt and gently taking her into his arms, not trying to let her crying get to him. "I'll be right back."

Both Karo and Seth stared after him, surprised that he was acting like a boy who had just been taken away his favourite toy.

"I think he's pissed that he's not her only favourite man anymore. Normally Leni sticks to females, you know," Karo tried to explain, shrugging her shoulders innocently and smiling at her best friend apologetically.

"Oh really? But is this her way of showing someone she likes them? By shitting her diapers while in their arms? Your daughter is acting strange," he laughed, getting swatted on his chest by her.

"What an act of love, isn't it?" she giggled, pinching his cheeks and kissing them before getting up. "Let me check on them real quick, okay? Why don't you call Dean and tell him you're here? He said they wanted to come over then."

Seth just nodded his head and watched her leave, knowing that she had to boost her man's ego or he would keep being a pussy for the rest of the day. He knew that Roman was a man with a lot of pride and that his daughter seemingly liked Seth more than she should didn't help matters.

Karo quietly made her way into Leni's room, watching Roman interacting with their daughter and talking to her quietly while he was changing her diaper.

"Pfft, first my wife, now my little munchkin? Can't his two-toned ass keep his damn hands to himself?" Roman mumbled, taking a few tissues and cleaning up little Leni who was just staring at the ceiling unimpressed.

Karo tried to choke down her laughter, finding it incredibly cute how Roman was jealous because of Seth for something so trivial. She made her way closer to the changing table, wrapping her arms around him from behind and placing a soft kiss in between his shoulder blades through the thin fabric of the skin-tight camouflage shirt he was wearing.

"You're the only one for her, baby," she whispered, giggling when he almost yelped, startled by her sudden appearance. "And the only one for me."

Roman just huffed, raising Leni's legs to place the diaper under her tiny little frame, hating that he was caught talking to himself.

"I don't like sharing my girls," he simply said, closing the nappy and buttoning her romper suit.

"You don't have to. Not in that way, at least. He's our friend, Roman. And he's her uncle... technically," she tried to reason but he seemingly didn't want to understand.

"And so is Dean, but she doesn't start crying when I take her away from him," he scoffed, picking up his little princess and placing her head on his shoulder so that she was now facing Karo.

"You love your daddy, don't you my angel?" she asked in a baby voice, kissing her daughter's forehead softly and laughing when she once again yawned.

"I'm acting like a fool, ain't I?" Roman asked when he turned around, sighing heavily when Karo nodded her head. "I'm sorry...I just...I don't know."

"And I don't know how many times I have to tell you that you don't have to worry about anything anymore," she groaned, massaging her temples. "I really would love to show you how much I love you but you know I can't right now."

He just nodded his head understanding, bending down slightly to place a sweet kiss onto her lips. "I'm sorry, babygirl."

"Don't be. Just do me one favour, ok? Go downstairs and bond with your friend again while I feed your daughter. It's important to him that you guys get along," she stated, taking Leni away from him to sit down in the rocking chair.

"You sure you don't need me here?" he asked hopefully, feeling slightly uneasy to spend some '_alone time_' with Seth.

"I know you just wanna see my boobs. So nope, I don't need you here," she giggled, sticking out her tongue to him and shooing him away with her hands.

Defeated he made his way downstairs, feeling incredibly stupid for being jealous because of something a baby did. It's not like Leni knew what she was doing.

"Everything alright?" Seth asked when Roman entered the living room again, putting his cell phone back into his jeans pocket after having replied to another text message of Maxine.

"Yep...Karo's feeding her now," he answered, sitting down on the armchair again and taking a deep breath. "So...how are things going?"

Seth swallowed hard, feeling that Roman was somehow uncomfortable alone with him in one room.

"Roman, you really don't have to do this now. I understand if you don't...," he started but was immediately cut off.

"No, I wanna do this. It's about time we go back to where we've been years ago. I know most of this is my fault. I've been a dick to you and I'm sorry. I just can't help but feel...insecure at times," he admitted truthfully, licking his suddenly dry lips nervously.

"Look man, I'm not in love with Karo anymore, ok? I'm glad you guys are happy. I'm thrilled that you finally have a baby now. I sure as hell won't fuck this up again. You just need to give me a chance and let me make this up to you. Don't always question anything I do. When I hug her, it's nothing more than an act of friendship. You need to understand this, dude," Seth explained desperately, hoping that Roman would finally accept that he was indeed only trying to be the best friend he had been before he started having feelings for Karo back in the day.

"I try. I really do," Roman said, running a hand over his face tiredly, wanting to change the subject as soon as possible. "So...what's going on with you and Maxine?"

"As I said, she doesn't seem to give me a chance. I try really hard...I keep sending her text messages, call her whenever I can, and invite her to lunch or dinner or whatever, over and over again. She accepts at first but more than once cancelled on short notice," he complained, feeling like someone stabbed him into his chest with a knife.

"No sign of her wanting to go further with you? At all?" Roman asked, realizing that Seth really was head over heels with this woman, sincerely feeling sorry that he was being treated like this.

"I don't even have the balls to kiss her, man. I have the feeling she just wants to be friends. IF there is time to hang out, we listen to music, chat away...things friends do. She's the perfect fit for me but apparently she doesn't see it that way," he sighed, leaning back on the couch and looking at his friend sadly.

"Tell her," Roman simply said, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning back as well.

"What do you mean 'tell her'?" he asked suspiciously, frowning slightly.

"Tell her you like her, more than just that. What do you have to lose? You wanna know how she feels, right? Then go ask her. Don't waste your time with someone who doesn't feel the same way towards you. You deserve better than this," he explained, watching his friend intently.

"But what if she says..." he started but was instantly interrupted.

"What if she says she doesn't want you? Then you know where you're at with her. Then you don't need to work your ass off to get her. But hey, ever thought of the possibility that she might want you but is too afraid to make the next move? Women can be like that, Seth," he said, looking at him expectantly. "As soon as you leave and get back on the road, you're gonna talk to her."

Seth was about to answer when they were interrupted by the door bell, surprised to see that Roman didn't even get up to open it.

"It's only Dean. He has a key but started ringing the bell before he comes in as he constantly seems to catch us while having sex," he explained, chuckling when Seth looked at him confused.

"Here we are..." Dean said loudly when entering the room, looking to the right and left before continuing. "...bitches."

Shannon just shook her head in annoyance, hating when Dean kept cursing with their son being in earshot but she would never be able to change that.

"Dude, how's it? Haven't seen you in ages," Dean said, quickly walking over to Seth and embracing him quickly. "Looking good. Did you finally trim your beard again? You looked like a damn caveman."

Seth rolled his eyes and moved a little so that Shannon could sit down on the couch but Dean wouldn't be Dean if he didn't take the now empty seat first.

"Where's Karo at?" he asked Roman, not realizing that his girlfriend had to make a little detour to sit down on the other side of the couch.

"She's upstairs feeding Leni," he said as a matter of fact, moving forward to get a sip of his water.

"Oh well, I guess I need to see if she's alright," he said nonchalantly and was about to get up when Shannon grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him down again. "What? You don't want me to be a happy man, do you? I just wanna see some tits for a change, as you don't show me yours anymore."

Seth burst out laughing but immediately tried to choke it down as Dean looked at him angrily. "Is that so funny, huh? I wake up with a fucking woody each and every morning 'cause it's my son who gets the only action, not me."

"Dean, would you shut up for a minute? I'm not getting any either," Roman sighed, looking at Shannon apologetically.

"At least you got some over a week ago. I've been suffering for endless weeks," he whined, looking at Dylan whose face was close to his mommy's boobs, a content expression on his tiny little face.

"He's jealous of his own son," Shannon stated, rolling her eyes once again.

"I'm not. It's just a fucking fact that he..." he started but was stopped by Seth who shoved Dean slightly, trying to make him shut up before turning his attention to Shannon.

"Let him talk, sunshine. Would you mind introducing me to your son?" Seth whispered after kissing her cheek softly, not having had the chance to greet her properly.

"Sure," she said with a smile, happy to finally see Seth again. "Here you go."

She carefully handed her son over to her friend, watching in awe how natural it seemed for Seth to hold a baby.

"It looks as if you're doing this constantly," she said, moving a little closer to him to see how Dylan would react being in another man's arms.

"Well, my daughter seemingly has a crush on him already. So he's doing a good job," Karo said out of nowhere, quietly having entered the living room with Leni over her shoulder.

"Really? I bet Roman was thrilled," she teased, winking at the Samoan with a smirk on her face. "Well, anyways...Seth, meet my little devil Dylan...he's only my son when he's a good boy though," she grinned, caressing her son's hair softly.

"He's a handsome little man. Unlike Dean," Seth added quickly, thankful he had a baby in his arms or Dean probably would have attacked him. "I have to say he looks a lot like him though."

"Yeah, he's a spitting image of him...brownish hair, blue eyes...attitude. You name it," Shannon replied, yelping when Dean pinched her from the other side of the couch.

But it was Seth's yelp that caught everyone's attention. Dylan was tightly pulling on his beard with one hand while pushing his other against the man's nose, making everybody laugh.

"Ouch...stop laughing, goddammit. Help me somebody," he cried, trying to free himself from the little boy's grip but it was to no avail.

"Now that's my boy," Dean said, as always, giving Roman a high five while they were both laughing their asses off.

"I don't know what it is with our kids but they don't really like men too much," Shannon said while taking Dylan away from Seth, rescuing him from the pain her son was causing him.

"Well, consider your son not being my friend, Ambrose," Seth said offended, theatrically of course. "Leni is so much nicer."

"That's because she's a clingy little shit, just like Karo," Dean scoffed, raising his hands in defence when both Roman and Karo acted like they wanted to shoot him with an invisible gun.

"You know what, guys? We need to get together like this more often. I really miss my friends," Seth said, looking at them all, one after another.

"Well, get that chick and bring her around, dude. It's time you settle down as well," Roman said, nodding his head at Seth who exactly knew what he meant by that.

He had to get Maxine. He needed to know what she felt for him. And that was something he would find out. As soon as possible.

**...**

He nervously made his way through the hallways of the Staples Center in Los Angeles the following Monday. After spending a few days with his best friends in Pensacola, he was back on the road and Monday Night RAW was just around the corner.

He had already texted Maxine that he had arrived, telling her that he urgently needed to talk to her and as soon as she had messaged him in which office she was sitting, he immediately made his way to find her.

He was more than just nervous, he was afraid. He didn't want to hear her say that she didn't want him. He finally allowed himself to have feelings for someone again, and he just hoped that this time that special someone would love him back. He knew he had fucked up more than once in his life, but he had the feeling that he finally deserved love and happiness as well.

And finally there it was, room 326, _travel arrangements_.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly for a brief moment, trying to retain his composure and thinking about what he wanted to tell her. He wouldn't tell her that he loved her. He didn't even know if he did. But he knew that she meant a lot to him already.

_Knock knock_

"Come in," she yelled, her voice music to his ears, making his heart beat even faster in his chest.

"Hey sweetheart. I hope I don't disturb," he said quietly, softly closing the door behind him and smiling when she shook her head no.

"Not at all. Take a seat," she replied, motioning to the chair in front of her desk while closing her laptop. "So, how was your trip to Florida? Did you have a good time?"

"Oh yes, it was amazing. You should have seen the babies. They're adorable. Maybe next time you can come around as well," Seth said, smiling brightly but the smile quickly faded when he saw how she weakly nodded her head, seemingly not comfortable with his suggestion.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them, both of them trying to find something to say but it seemed more difficult than it ever had, a tension in the room that was indescribable.

"Maxi, I need to talk to you about something," he blurted out, breaking the silence and feeling extremely insecure when she looked at him with a frown on her face, not a word escaping her lips. "Look, this has been going on for months now. You and me...having coffee, listening to music, going to dinner...stuff like that…"

He looked at her expectantly but she still remained silent, making it incredibly difficult for him to feel self-confident in front of her.

"I've been thinking a lot, you know? I try my best to spend time with you whenever I can, and I really enjoy it... but I can't shake off the feeling that this isn't mutual," he said quietly, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "There is one thing I need to ask you..."

He looked directly into her eyes, not being able to read her face which was killing him. But it was now or never. He needed to ask her, he needed to know.

"Are you even interested in me at all?"


	2. Loss or gain!

**Helloooo!**

**Thanks to all of you for the positive feedback so far. I'm glad you all accompany me during this journey with Seth and Maxine, and of course I can't let go of Roman&Karo as well as Dean&Shannon with their babies! haha**

**Keep these reviews coming, you know how much they mean to me :) It always encourages me to keep going and it's good to see how you feel about certain things.**

**Now enjoy & review! :)**

**...**

Chapter 2: Loss or gain?

"Maxine?" Seth asked when she remained silent, the expression on her face unreadable. "Don't you have anything to say?"

She just stared into his eyes, glaring daggers at him, not sure what to say. She was expecting him to ask one day, thinking that he would have done it way earlier, but now here they were and she had no idea how to tell him without breaking his heart.

"Look, it's not that easy..." she started hesitantly but stopped when Seth scoffed at her.

"Oh yes, it's that easy. It's a simple question which can be answered with yes or no. Are you interested in me or not?" he countered, his heart heavy in his chest when he realized that he was really about to be rejected once again.

Maxine took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly for a brief moment. She liked him, very much, and that's why it hurt her even more to do this to him now.

"Well, okay, if you wanna do it that way, then no, I'm not interested in you," she said brutally honest, although deep down she knew she lied, swallowing hard when she noticed the sad and devastated look in his eyes. "I enjoy spending time with you, Seth. That's not the question. It's just that...it doesn't work, okay? We can't be together. Which doesn't mean that we can't see each other anymore and..."

"Yes, it does mean we can't see each other anymore because I simply don't want to. Thanks for leading me on all these months. I can't believe you're such a heartless..." he said through gritted teeth before she cut him off.

"Don't say anything you might regret," she warned, getting up from her office chair and making her way over to the door, holding it open for him. "You'd better get going now. I really don't wanna be on bad terms with you. So I guess we just stop right here and end this conversation."

Seth couldn't believe that this was happening. All his fears and worries had been confirmed. She didn't want him. He had given her his heart and she had ripped it out of his chest and stomped on it over and over again. But maybe he couldn't even blame her. He had never really made a move on her. How was she supposed to know he liked her _that_ way?

He stood up and was about to exit her office before stopping right in front of her, his chocolate brown eyes looking deep into her light green ones, hoping to see some kind of affection in them but there was none. Nothing at all.

"Goodbye Seth," she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper.

But Seth didn't even want to reply. That she broke eye contact with him almost immediately was sign enough for him to know that she didn't even have the guts to face him anymore.

He was disappointed in her. All these months she had been acting like he meant something to her. Whatever that was, but she definitely did. And now she brushed him off just like that?

He didn't know if it was coincidence or not but the moment she had closed the door behind him, his cell phone rang. And who was the one calling him? Right, it was Karo.

"Hey," he said curtly, not really in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment, not even to her.

"Hi Sethie...how's it? Listen, you won't believe who's releasing a new record this year," she replied happily and he could literally imagine the huge smile on her face. Too bad he couldn't join her happiness right now.

"Who?" he asked, just because he was polite and didn't want to hurt her feelings by sounding like he could care less.

"Uhm...are you okay, Seth? You sound a little...annoyed," she dared to say, not remembering the last time he was that pissed off with her and she honestly didn't even have an idea why he was in the first place now.

"Look, don't get me wrong, but I'm quite pissed at the moment," he admitted, rubbing his tired eyes with his free hand. "I'm having a bad day."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" she immediately asked, not liking the sound of this at all.

Seth took a deep breath and contemplated if he should really talk to her about it or not. She was his best friend after all but it had been a while since they last had such an intimate conversation. But maybe he needed somebody to talk to about all of this. He knew she wouldn't judge him and he could trust her unconditionally.

"I've just been in Maxine's office," he started, looking around to see if somebody was in earshot and sighing in relief when he seemed to be alone.

"Have you talked to her about...you know...the two of you?" she asked cautiously, sensing that something must be terribly wrong but she wouldn't push him.

"I have," he breathed heavily, entering an empty locker room quickly and closing the door behind him to have some privacy. "She doesn't want me, Karo."

Karo couldn't help but gasp, her heart breaking for her best friend when she realized that he once again had been rejected by a woman he dearly liked.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, Seth. But why? I mean...she seemed to enjoy spending time with you and all. I don't understand," she answered, sitting down on her couch in shock before running a shaky hand through her long blond hair.

"She said it doesn't work out. But now that I think about it...she didn't even give me a plausible reason. She simply said she likes being with me but that it doesn't work...that she's not interested in me. But why would she say that? It doesn't make sense," he mused, not sure if he was explaining this to Karo or rather himself.

"Was her reasoning convincing at all? I mean, I trust you know how to read body language, right? Do you think she really meant it?" she asked, trying to figure out if Maxine was just playing mind games or if she was serious about this.

She didn't know this woman, not having had the chance to meet her just yet which was a shame considering that she was so close to Seth's heart. Maybe she could assess the situation better if she knew her but right now she could only trust her female instincts.

"I honestly don't know. She appeared to be very cold-hearted and I don't even know why. I've never seen her like that before. It's like she was someone else," he replied, not sure if he wanted to scream out of anger or cry his eyes out because he was so hurt.

"You have no idea how sorry I am. I wish there was anything I could do but I'm too far away. Maybe give her some space for the next few days. Don't call, don't text. Retreat. Maybe then she will realise how much she needs you in her life," she tried to convince him, little Leni whimpering in the background slightly. "I'm sorry, Sethie, but I've gotta go. Leni is hungry and I'm not yet the perfect mommy who can do two things at the same time."

"You're a perfect mommy, don't ever doubt that," he said, a small smile forming on his face when the picture of her little baby popped into his mind. "Take care of your princess. I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry...really...call me whenever you need me, ok? I'll be here for you, no matter when. I love you, Seth. Keep your head up, ok?" she said, sighing heavily when she once again realized that there was nothing she could do for him.

"I love you too, sweetheart. I'll give you a call later, ok? Give Leni a kiss from me," he answered before hanging up the phone shortly afterwards.

He was happy for being able to get all of this off of his chest but he would lie if he said he felt better. He still felt horrible, heartbroken even. But he couldn't even cry. There were no tears to be shed when there was so much anger he felt deep inside.

Maybe it would be a good idea to just go out for a run, even if it was just around the block a few times. He knew he would have to face a few fans if he did, aware of the fact that the ring rats must already be there, waiting for a chance to get into their favourite wrestler's pants and maybe he could use this to his advantage. _No Rollins, get your act together. This is not who you are anymore_, he thought to himself.

It was easy to revert to old behaviour patterns but he knew that this wasn't the way he should comfort himself. Just because he had been hurt didn't mean he could hurt others just as much.

He quickly made his way out of the empty locker room to get back to his own so that he could change clothes. He sighed when he looked at his championship belt, the thought of him losing it soon never leaving his mind. He was hoping to move things forward with Maxine upon losing it, praying that spending more time with her would finally lead to them being a thing. But it seemed that this wasn't something she was looking forward to.

God, his life was a mess. Everyone around him was happy. Everyone was getting married or having babies, but here he was...alone, single, hopeless.

**...**

He quickly put on some boxer shorts when he came out of the shower only to hear the ringing of his cell phone shortly afterwards. He didn't expect somebody to call, hopefully it was Karo because he sure as hell would not pick up the phone if it was Maxine. But to his surprise it was neither one of them but someone he would never have thought would call him deliberately.

"Hey Roman, how's it?" he asked, confusion written all over his face when his Samoan friend appeared on his phone screen.

"Hi Seth, it's all good. Just a little tired. My daughter thinks it's fun to keep us awake at night," he joked, even raising a smile out of his friend. "Do you have a few minutes? I need to talk to you about something."

Seth frowned but nodded, at first not realizing that Roman couldn't see it but quickly replying when he finally did. "Sure, yeah, I'm not up until the main event tonight."

"Great...so...uhm...listen, Karo told me what happened earlier," he started, hoping that he wouldn't be mad at his wife for spilling the beans but when he didn't react, he knew that this probably wasn't the case. "First of all, I'm sorry that this happened. I was really hoping that for once you would find happiness. But Seth, don't give up on her just yet. I know I've met Maxine only a couple of times and clearly I don't know her well enough to judge her, but I think there is more behind this than just a simple 'it doesn't work out'."

Seth was absolutely perplexed. Did Roman really just call to talk to him about his heartache? About a thing such as love? He couldn't believe it.

"Well...uh...I don't know. I'm really at the end of my rope, to be honest. Here I was, thinking that she would like me but once again I was wrong. I'm sick of getting my heart broken but maybe I shouldn't even tell you that," he said truthfully, not sure if Roman was the right person he should talk to after it was Karo who had broken his heart first without really wanting it.

"Look, I'm your friend, Seth. I'm ready to finally forget what happened in the past and I agree that you deserve happiness after...you know...going through hell. And that's why I'm calling you. I know Karo probably told you to let it go for now. But I don't think you should. I somehow have the feeling she likes you. It was the look in her eye that told me so when we met the first time after you took the title from me," he replied, sitting down on a sun-lounger in their garden with his daughter laying on his naked chest, her head covered in a white, flower-printed bonnet while wearing a tiny little pink summer dress to complete her outfit.

"Well, apparently we were all wrong when we thought she liked me because obviously she doesn't," Seth scoffed, mentally slapping himself for barking at Roman when he should be thankful that his friend was trying to help.

"She does, Seth. My god, do you really give up that easily? I know you better than that. You know what this is? This is about her thinking she isn't or shouldn't be a part of the roster. Do you remember telling me that she said she didn't want to come to the party 'cause she somehow felt she shouldn't be there? That she didn't belong there? Have you ever thought about her being afraid to take that next step?" Roman asked, trying to open Seth's eyes, and hoping that his assumptions were right.

"You lost me, Reigns. I don't get what the one thing has to do with the other," he replied, flopping down on the couch in his locker room and leaning back with his eyes closed tightly.

"She works for the McMahon's, right?" Roman simply asked.

"We all do, Ro," Seth said as a matter of fact, not understanding where his friend was going with that.

"She works closer with them. She's working for the Authority if you wanna see it like that. Maybe she's afraid to date one of us. Maybe she thinks that if she does, Steph or Hunter would be pissed. You know that all these suit-wearing assholes think they're better than us...that it's not a good thing to hang out with us. Maybe this is what she had been told. Maybe she thinks it's for the best not to get attached to you before she's...," he explained but was quickly cut off by his friend.

"You think she's ashamed of me?" he almost yelled, his eyes wide open now.

"I didn't say that, for god's sake. Why would I? We're equal, brother," he sighed, grimacing slightly when he felt that his daughter was drooling on his chest. "She's still new in the business. And I just think she's afraid. I could be totally wrong but this is how I see it."

"And what do you think I should do?" Seth wondered, thinking about his friend's words and realizing that he might be right in the end.

"Don't give up that easily. Go get her. Find out in which hotel room she's staying. Go there after RAW and kiss the living shit outta her. What more can she do but kick your ass?" Roman retorted, smiling when Leni stretched and yawned, his hand soothing her by running it over her little back softly.

"You think I should kiss her? Isn't that a little...pushy?" he asked, not sure if this was such a good idea.

"Go for it, man. And if she kisses you back, then you have the answer you've been looking for. Now go and get ready for your match. I wanna see you kick ass," Roman replied and with that simply hung up.

Seth looked at his phone confused, not believing that he was indeed having this conversation with Roman. But maybe he was right. It was strange to see Maxine act like that. This wasn't her dumping him. It was somebody she was trying to be. Why the hell would she suddenly react like that?

He closed his eyes tightly once again, thinking about Roman's suggestion once more before he decided he would go for it. He had nothing to lose, considering that he had lost it all already. He would find out where she was staying, and then he would simply kiss her. He could only hope that instead of getting bitch-slapped, she would hopefully kiss him back.

**...**

"Why is your chest wet, you dirty bastard?" Dean asked out of nowhere, startling his Samoan friend so much that he winced.

"Dude, how about you don't sneak up on me like that again?" he huffed, patting his little girl's back gently who was just as startled by her daddy cringing as he was by Dean's sudden appearance.

"You know he will never change, don't you?" Shannon said with a chuckle, leaning down to plant a kiss on Roman's cheek. "Hey big man...how is your little princess doing today?"

As Dean was holding Dylan this time, Shannon could kneel down next to Roman and caress Leni's cheek, smiling when the little girl opened her big blue eyes to look directly into hers.

"These blue eyes will be the death of me one day. It's the same with Dylan. Whenever he wakes me in the middle of the night and I'm fucking mad at him, he opens those eyes and I'm melting," Shannon admitted, giggling when her son sneezed as if he understood what she was saying.

"My son is a clever boy. Always waking up mommy to suck on her tits. Lucky little man," Dean said teasingly, tickling his son softly before kissing his cheek lovingly.

"Will you ever stop talking about sex, Dean? God...," Shannon groaned, straightening up again before sitting on one of the empty sun-loungers next to Roman.

"What? I bet Roman gets to suck on Karo's, right dude?" he asked while sitting down next to Shannon, holding Dylan close to him to let him feel the warmth of his body.

"No, he doesn't. He's just as unlucky as you are," Karo said with a chuckle, entering the garden and placing a kiss on both Roman and Leni's forehead. "I would love to buy you a vibrator but I'm not sure you would know how to use it."

"These bitches and their fucking toys..." Dean mumbled, getting slapped by both Shannon and Karo.

"You once told me to use my hands, so why don't you use yours now? But don't do it next to me in the bed, okay?" Shannon asked, directing her question to Dean but winking at Karo.

"You told her?" Roman asked shocked, looking at Karo wide-eyed.

"Uhm...what? Huh? What are you talking about?" she asked, acting all innocent but she knew that he immediately understood what Shannon had been referring to.

"As if you would care if I get off next to you. Have done it plenty of times already," Dean huffed, repositioning the cap on his son's head so that his eyes were protected from the sun. "Now shut up and help me get this off of him."

It was a hot day in Pensacola and the tiny little leather jacket Dylan was wearing was not appropriate to the outside temperatures.

"Don't you have the same jacket as well?" Roman asked Dean, chuckling when his friend frantically nodded his head.

"Yep, same brand, same model. He's just as cool as his daddy," Dean said happily, holding his son up in the air only to catch him again safely. Once, twice...

"Dean, don't keep..." Shannon started but her boyfriend wouldn't listen.

Three times, four times...

"Dean, you really shouldn't..." she tried once again, but he still wouldn't stop.

"Now that's fun, isn't it little man?" Dean joked with his son. But his laughter soon stopped when Dylan decided to throw up all over his daddy's face, emptying his stomach until nothing more was left inside.

"Now that's YOUR son," Shannon said mockingly, looking at Karo desperately who immediately understood and left to get some tissues.

"No, that's YOUR son," Dean replied angrily.

Yes, Dylan definitely was an Ambrose.

**...**

Seth was somehow able to find out in which room Maxine was staying. He had been thinking about this situation ever since ending the conversation with Roman right before RAW earlier that day. He tried to feel as self-confident as possibly, but the truth was that he was anything but that. He was afraid. She had rejected him once and he didn't want to feel that way again. This was his last chance and he had to use it.

_Room 583_

"Okay Seth, it's now or never. You can do it. You can do it, man," he mumbled to himself, trying to convince himself but it didn't really make things easier for him.

Maybe Roman was right with his theory, but maybe he was totally wrong.

He didn't know if it would hurt him to know that she was afraid to be seen with him in public. Did she think she was in a higher position than him? Is that what she was feeling deep inside? But he didn't think she was that kind of person. Yes, maybe she had been told not to get involved with one of the wrestlers but could he even blame her? Wasn't it understandable that she wanted to keep her job? Too afraid that people might make her life a living hell?

He should stop thinking about that. He didn't know for sure. Maybe she really wasn't interested in him. Or maybe all of this had a completely different reason. He needed to find out. And he would find out now.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly for a second, his heart beating fast in his chest.

_Knock knock knock_

He had really done it. He had really knocked on her door. He was getting more and more nervous with each second passing by. Was she even there? Or was she still out? Maybe in the arena? Or even having drinks with friends...or another man?

He couldn't even finish his train of thought when suddenly the door in front of him was opened hastily. They both seemed to be surprised by the other person's presence, staring at each other without saying a word. Maxine would have never believed to see him again that quickly, and although it shocked her, she couldn't say that she wasn't happy he decided to come by.

She was conflicted when it came to Seth. She was afraid of falling in love with him. She had heard many stories of him sleeping around, fucking countless ring rats. And that was something she didn't want or need in her life. Only one of a few reasons why she had rejected him earlier that day.

"Seth, what are you doing here?" she asked dumbfounded, slightly embarrassed when she realized that he was checking her out while she was dressed in black sweatpants and an old band shirt.

"Maxine...I...uhm...," he stuttered, not really sure what he was there for. Of course he wanted to kiss her but that was easier said than done.

She watched him intently, waiting for him to find the right words but it seemed that he was struggling. He was adorable standing there in front of her like a lost puppy. But she needed to remind herself that he was out of question.

"Seth?" she once again asked when he kept staring at her.

He licked his suddenly very dry lips and took a deep breath. He knew he wouldn't find the right things to say. He would shoot himself in the foot if he kept going like this. And if he didn't want to chase her away any longer, then he had to take things into his own hands now.

He very slowly moved closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers. He could tell that she was confused. Her shallow breathing gave it away. But he wouldn't back down now. He could only hope that she wanted this as much as he did.

When he couldn't get any closer, he stopped. He now looked back and forth between her eyes and lips, swallowing hard when she licked them herself.

"Seth...," she whispered, involuntarily holding her breath when his lips were only mere inches away from hers.

She watched how he raised his right hand, burying it in her auburn waist long hair while his left one cupped her cheek. She could feel his breath on her skin, sending chills up and down her spine. She was rendered speechless.

"Shh, don't say anything right now...," he whispered back, once again getting lost in her beautiful green eyes before closing his now.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally closed the distance between them, gently pressing his lips onto hers, a moan almost escaping his lips. Hers were so soft, so unbelievably soft. He could get lost in this very moment. He enjoyed feeling her body close to his, her lips onto his. He wanted the world to stop moving.

Until now she didn't react but he didn't really care. He cherished this moment too much to think about the consequences. But he knew he couldn't stand there like this forever. He needed to take that next step, he needed to see if she wanted this as well.

He kissed her lips sweetly, pressing his onto hers again before very softly and almost cowardly licking her bottom lip. He could feel how she gasped, not sure if this was a good or a bad sign. Would she finally give in or had he lost it all for good now?


	3. Tell me you lied

**I have another chapter for you, ladies and gentlemen!**

**Somehow I'm on a roll lol**

**Thanks for being so supportive. You guys are amazing :)**

**Now enjoy & review!**

**...**

Chapter 3: Tell me you lied

Seth could hear his heart pounding in his own ears, afraid that Maxine could feel it as well but maybe she even should. He actually wanted her to know that she was the one that made his heart beat faster. She was the one he wanted to be with. And he wasn't ashamed to admit it.

Seconds felt like minutes, it was as if he was waiting for an eternity, but finally, after mere moments, she finally parted her lips slightly, giving Seth the chance to plunge his tongue into her mouth gently. Adrenaline was running through his veins, the feel of her tongue against his, both of them exploring each other's mouth, it was breath-taking.

She couldn't help but let out a moan, loving the feeling of his soft lips on hers, his skilled tongue battling for dominance against her own. She had never been kissed like this before. The kiss was passionate, full of affection and...love.

But she wasn't allowed to have these feelings. She had told herself not to give in. She didn't want to risk getting attached to him.

But without her realizing it, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. She had no idea how happy she made Seth with this simple movement. He felt victorious, hoping that this was the truthful and honest answer to the question he had asked her earlier that day. Why would she kiss him back like this if she wasn't interested in him?

He untangled his right hand from her hair, letting it slide over her shoulder and sides, stopping right above her round ass and resting it there. He loved her curves, even more now after feeling them for only just a few seconds. He was lost in this moment. He never wanted it to end again.

"Seth...," she panted after gently breaking the kiss, her lips slightly swollen and her cheeks flushed. "We can't..."

"Oh yes we can," he countered, softly dragging her into her room before slamming the door shut behind them.

He pushed her against the wall with her back, once against pressing his lips onto hers, his hands cupping her face.

"Now tell me again you don't want me," he whispered in between kisses, the butterflies in his stomach acting up when she kissed him back again and again. "Tell me you're not interested in me..."

Maxine could feel how she slowly lost control over her body and mind. Her body was out of control ever since he had touched her, but now it was her head that stopped working as well. With his heated kisses he made her forget about all the reasons she shouldn't be with him. He made her want him, body and soul. The whole package.

"I...I..." she stuttered, moaning when his lips now connected with the hot flesh of her neck, biting and nibbling softly. "You need to understand..."

"What? I need to understand what?" he asked confused, immediately stopping the sweet torture and taking a small step back. "Because right now I'm very confused, Maxi."

Maxine sighed heavily, running a shaky hand through her long, auburn hair. She was just as confused as he was. She knew that her reasons for not getting involved with him were ridiculous. Okay, maybe not all of them, but most of them. She was so afraid of taking that next step and getting hurt in the process that she thought it was better not to go there in the first place.

What was she supposed to do now? Tell him about her fears and concerns? Be honest with him and hoping that he would understand? She was so conflicted.

"You need to talk to me, babe. I can't read your mind," he stated when she remained silent, noticing that she was deep in thought and the frown on her face made him worry.

She let out a heavy sigh and stepped away from him, making her way over to the bed to sit down on the edge. Seth was unsure of what to do next, but as she hadn't thrown him out of the room, he thought he might as well take the chance and sit down next to her.

"Why wouldn't it work out?" he asked curiously, feeling that now was the right moment to discuss this.

When she had told him that earlier, right before RAW, he was so furious that he wouldn't even let her explain. He was hurt and disappointed, not even giving her a chance to let him know why, even forcing her to be so brutally honest with him. It was his own fault.

"It's really stupid though," she mumbled, not being able to look him in the eyes.

"I'm stupid all the time, it can't be that bad," he said, trying to ease the tension in the room and even being able to make her chuckle. "Go on, sweetheart. I'm all ears."

She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. She needed to be honest with him. He had the right to know the truth, and if he did, maybe he would leave her alone deliberately.

"I like you, Seth. Very much. And that is one thing that scares me to death. I've been hurt before, many times. I know that sounds so cliché. That girl that gets her heart broken and doesn't trust another man again. It's the same old story every time. But it's true. I wanna be independent. I've always lived the life my boyfriends wanted me to live. And now I'm here, having an awesome job, making good money and being myself. I don't wanna give that up...," she started to explain, closing her eyes for a brief moment when Seth took her hand into his.

"I would never want to change you. And I know it's easy to say that I won't break your heart. There is never a guarantee that it won't happen, but I can promise you that I will worship the ground you're walking on. I will appreciate you and anticipate your every wish," he said, looking at her confused when she giggled.

"That was very cheesy, Seth," she replied, finally being able to look into his chocolate brown eyes.

"I can be quite a pussy, I know," he chuckled, intertwining his fingers with hers. "But that's not the only reason, is it?"

It was as if he could read her mind. He knew there was more behind it. Every woman was afraid of getting hurt again after having her heart broken by another man. But that was easy to fix. There must have been something else bothering her which made her reject him.

"I know all about these girls, Seth. I know you're a ladies' man. You love the girls and they love you. I'm not sure I can handle that. Look, I'm quite confident with my body but I know that there are women out there that will blow your mind. It's just that...," she explained, instantly stopping when he put a finger over her lips.

"You assume I would cheat on you?" he asked astonished, shocked that she knew about his one night stands although he had stopped fucking around when she came into the company. "How would you even know about all these so called ladies I've been with?"

"People talk, Seth. They've seen us having coffee and approached me, telling me that you're into ring rats and skanks," she mumbled, feeling bad for believing the gossip she was being told about.

"And you believe them? Do these people know me? Do they hang out with me and know why I'm acting the way I do? You know what? Yes. Yes, I've been enjoying my single life. I've taken all these cheap girls to bed. But I realized that this is not who I am. I'm looking for that one special person that shares her life with me. I've been so alone these past couple of years. I tried to comfort myself with them...but I just want...you. Only you," he admitted truthfully, blushing slightly when he made that confession to her.

Maxine didn't know what to say. She was absolutely speechless. Had he just told her that he wanted to be with her? That he wanted her to be that special person at his side? His reasoning was convincing and even believable, but it didn't change the fact that it made her insecure. What if he would get bored with her someday and look for fun outside of their relationship?

Relationship? Did she really just think about the word _relationship_?

"Maxi?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts and bringing her back to reality. "You need to trust me. If you don't, then this really won't work out."

Although she had been the one saying this to him earlier that day, it hurt her to hear this words coming out of his mouth. Maybe she should just tell him that he was right. That she didn't trust him and that he needed to let it go. But somehow she couldn't. Because he was right. All these people who had been warning her about him didn't even know him. These were people that believed all these stuff that was being talked about in the hallways. But who really knew for sure?

"Trust needs to be built," she said quietly, running a hand over her face.

"I didn't say I wanted to marry you tomorrow," he said, once again making her giggle. "Of course all of this takes time. But I give you all the time you need if you give me one chance. Let me show you that I really mean it. That I want to be with you and that nobody else but you matters."

"But Seth...," she tried to say but he wouldn't even let her finish.

"Maxine, please tell me that you lied. Please tell me that you weren't telling the truth when you said you weren't interested in me," he begged, looking deep into her light green eyes, insecurity and fear reflecting in his own.

What was she supposed to do now? Lie again? Send him away and hope that he would leave her once and for all? Did she even want that?

"I lied," she admitted, shocked that she had really said those words out loud.

It was a load off Seth's mind. His heart made a huge jump in his chest. The happiness evident on his face as a huge smile was on his lips.

"Why?" he simply asked, curious why she would do something like that when she clearly didn't mean it.

"I'm afraid..." she stated, driving Seth crazy with her curt answers.

"Afraid of what? I told you I wouldn't cheat. I explained to you why I did all of this. And that I wouldn't break your heart. You like me, right? Why not give it a try? Why would you be afraid?" he asked, so many questions which he hoped she would answer truthfully.

"I'm just not sure what my colleagues would think. What Steph and Hunter would say if they found out..." she said honestly, confirming his biggest fears. The fear of her being ashamed of him.

Roman was right. She was scared of dating a wrestler because it could risk her standing in the company.

"Do you really care about what other people think? Are you one of these people that think about different statuses? If you're embarrassed or ashamed to be seen with me, then I should better get going now," he scoffed as he couldn't help but to be hurt by her words.

"Oh my God, I'm not. I promise you I'm not," she quickly said, shocked that he would think something like that. "It's just that...I'm still new around here. I admit that I care about what other people think of me. But this isn't about you or anybody else. But my colleagues talk really bad about you guys sometimes. And they keep joking about all these little affairs wrestlers have with divas and things like that."

"You know that this is a pretty ridiculous reason for not wanting to be with me, right?" he asked, sighing heavily when she nodded. "Hunter was a wrestler when he started seeing Steph. She was the daughter of the boss. You can't go any higher than that. Did he give a damn? No, he didn't. He wanted her and he fought for her. Do you honestly think they would be pissed at you for being with me or anyone else for that matter?"

She shook her head, knowing that he was right. And she had never felt more stupid than in this very moment. All her reasons for not wanting to be with him were absurd and ridiculous. She wanted to push him away because she worried about other people's reaction. How superficial had she become?

"God, I'm horrible...," she groaned, massaging her right temple with her free hand.

"Yes, you are. But I still like you though," he said with a small smile on his face, squeezing her hand softly to let her know that it was fine.

There was a comfortable silence between them, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Seth wasn't really sure what all of this meant right now. Did she give them a chance? Or did she just want to explain herself so that he would finally fuck off for good?

"What now?" she asked as if she could read his mind, the expression on her face one of worry and concern.

"You tell me. I think I've made myself clear. I want you. And I don't mean that I want you for just a little fun only. These last few months with you have been amazing. Although we couldn't spend as much time with each other as I would have wanted to. This is about you now, babe," he explained, once again confessing his feelings to her and giving her the chance to make a decision for herself now.

But what did she want? Did she want him? Yes, she did. Should she be with him? That she didn't know.

"Let's try this," she said all of a sudden, once again shocked that she had really said this.

And not only was she perplexed, but so was Seth. Had she just agreed to give them a chance? Did she really want to be with him? He couldn't believe it. He felt like he was paralyzed, not being able to move.

"You...you mean that...you and me..." he stuttered, not sure if he was dreaming or if this was indeed the reality.

"Let's take this slow, step by step. I wanna see if this works out, if we belong together. And let's not tell...," she said but was stopped mid-sentence by Seth who had retained his composure again.

"And let's not tell everybody? I can deal with that. But my friends will know. I'm not keeping this from them," he said sternly, not believing that this was really happening.

Just a few hours ago he was heartbroken when she told him that she wasn't interested in him. He was angry and disappointed, wanting to give up. If it hadn't been for Roman, then he would now be in his hotel room, probably crying his heart out. But he had been brave enough to go to her room and kiss her. And now here they were, talking about everything that was bothering them and clearing up the air.

"I'm so sorry, Seth. Please don't ever think I'm ashamed of you," she once again pleaded, feeling horrible for making him feel this way.

"It's okay, I understand," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

He once again moved closer to her, placing his lips onto hers and giving her a sweet, sensual kiss. He wished he could kiss her forever, enjoying each and every second of tasting her and feeling her so close to him.

"I'd better get going. If I stay, then I can't guarantee anything," he admitted, pecking her lips quickly before slowly getting up. "Breakfast tomorrow? Somewhere outside the hotel?"

"I would love that," she said with a smile on her face, holding the door open for him to step out. "Thanks for being so understanding, Seth. And thanks for being…pushy."

He couldn't help but laugh when he saw her giggle. She was the most amazing woman he had ever met in his life. Who would have thought he would ever say these words again after the heartbreak he had felt when things with Karo went crazy.

"Anytime, baby. Anytime," he whispered, kissing her once again. He just couldn't help it. "Nice shirt, by the way."

And with that he winked at her and turned around, making his way through the hallways of the hotel they were staying in. And Maxine couldn't be happier. She still felt incredibly stupid for rejecting Seth the way she had, especially because her reasons were quite frankly really dumb. But he had fought for her. And nobody had ever done that for her before. Nobody.

**...**

_*I know this must sound weird to you now but thanks for being such an amazing friend. No words can describe how thankful I am that you've called me earlier. I know all of this must have cost you quite an effort and I really appreciate it. Gimme a call whenever you can, and until then kiss your two girls for me. Seth. P.S. Sorry for being so disgustingly emotional.*_

After reading this message the next morning after waking up, Roman was instantly fully awake. He didn't know if this text was a good or a bad sign. Did he really have the guts to kiss her? And if he did, did she kiss him back?

"Hey baby...who texted?" Karolina asked after entering their bedroom, Leni in her arms while she awkwardly crawled onto the bed to sit in front of him.

"Seth," he simply said, handing her his cell phone and letting her read herself after kissing both her and Leni's forehead softly.

"Well, now that just made my day," she smiled, happy that her husband and best friend seemed to get along again.

"I knew it would. I think I finally understood that all of that shit belongs in the past. But if he takes my daughter away from me, I'm still gonna have to kick his ass. Period," he mumbled, raising an eyebrow at his wife when she giggled. "That's not funny, missy."

"Oh yes it is. Hey, maybe Seth was imprinted on Leni. Just like Jacob was with Renesmee in Twilight," Karo said with a chuckle, laughing even more when Roman looked at her as if she had two heads.

"What the fuck are you even talking about?" he asked confused, not having watched these movies but hating this Jacob character nonetheless.

"Jacob has the feeling of needing to protect the little girl...of loving her and always being with her and...," she started to explain but he stopped her immediately.

"Don't. Just don't. This is weird. If Rollins does that, then I'm not only gonna kick his ass but break him in half as well," he groaned, shaking his head in disbelief when Karo burst out laughing.

"Alright, relax, it's all good," she said when she calmed down again, still a huge smile on her face. "Will you call Seth now? Or did you want to have a bath with Leni first?"

Roman had developed the habit of bathing with his daughter recently, saying that like this they could bond even more. He always made sure that she was safe in his arms if they did, letting the warm water run over her body and trying to soothe her when she cried. Karo loved watching them. It was so adorable to see a big, muscular man like Roman being all mushy with his little daughter, placing kisses all over her skin and holding her close.

"I guess I call him real quick. Will you be out with Shannon later on?" he asked, sitting up and resting his back against the headboard of the bed.

"Yeah, she'll pick me up in half an hour. She'll bring Dean and Dylan along so that they can hang out with you two. Apparently last time she left them by themselves, she came back home and it was chaotic," she explained, making Roman chuckle.

"That's not surprising though," he said and kissed her lips sweetly. "I'll be down in a few, okay?"

She nodded her head, leaving the room with a smile on her face. He stared after his two girls until he couldn't see them anymore. He couldn't believe just how lucky he was. His life had changed completely ever since Leni was born. It was more stressful, he had a lot more responsibility than he had before. But he loved it. He loved every second of his life as a husband and father. Being a daddy seemed to be natural for him. He immediately knew how to take care of his daughter. Maybe he spoiled her a little bit too much already but for now he didn't care. He loved his princess to death and would do everything for her.

He unlocked his cell phone once again, quickly finding Seth's number and pushing the call button. He was a little nervous, hoping that everything worked out for his friend but he couldn't really tell after reading that text message earlier.

"Hey Roman. How's it?" Seth said cheerfully, happy that Roman had really called him.

"Just woke up and read your message. How did things go?" he immediately asked, even more curious now that Seth sounded like an excited little boy.

"Well, I took your advice and went with it. And I think I've succeeded," he replied, immediately thinking back to the night before when he had passionately kissed Maxine for the first time.

"Come on now, spill the beans," Roman urged, hating to worm the information out of Seth bit by bit.

"Alright, alright...relax, man. So, I found out in which room she was staying in. I went there and simply kissed her. Just like you told me to," Seth started, grinning to himself. "It felt like ages until she finally kissed me back. We made out in front of her room and somehow ended up in her room."

"Don't tell me you banged her already. God Seth, that's way too early. You don't just sleep with a...," Roman wanted to lecture his friend, only to be stopped by him mid-sentence.

"I didn't sleep with her. Dude, I'm serious with that girl. She's worth more than just that," he countered immediately, pausing for a brief moment before continuing. "Long story short: she told me all about her fears and worries and it turned out you were absolutely right. She got her heart broken by her ex, heard about me fucking countless ring rats and is afraid of people badmouthing her. She thinks Hunter and Steph would be pissed at her for being with me."

"What? Hunter fucked the owner's daughter back in the day and now look where he is today. She really shouldn't worry about something like that," Roman argued, shaking his head in disbelief. Women overreacted at times.

"Yeah, no shit. I told her that her reasons were ridiculous. She really wanted to dump me for stuff so trivial? Man, I'm worth the fight, ain't I?" Seth asked with a chuckle.

"You are, man, you are," Roman said with a huge smirk on his face. "So what now? Are you guys dating or what?"

"That's a really good question though. She said she wanted to give us a chance. Whatever that means. I'm about to pick her up. You think I should ask her...you know...if she wants to be...ugh, that sounds stupid," he stuttered, running a hand through his two-toned hair which was still all messy.

"If she wants to be your girlfriend? It might sound stupid, but you have to make sure that this is what you both want," he replied, smiling when Karo and Leni came back into the bedroom, taking his daughter from his wife who started taking off her clothes in front of him.

"Don't you think it's a little too early for that?" he asked unsure, rummaging through his suitcase to look for one of his favourite shirts.

"Seth, you guys have been seeing each other for months. It's not too early to finally make her yours," he said sternly, watching Karo intently.

"Well, if you say so," Seth mumbled, finally having found the shirt he had been looking for. "Look man, I've gotta go. I'll talk to you later, k? Thanks again."

Roman didn't even have the chance to say his goodbyes as Seth had immediately hung up on him. But seeing his wife standing like this in front of him completely made up for it.

He carefully placed a sleeping Leni in the middle of the bed, placing pillows and blankets around her body to support it before quickly making his way over to Karo who was standing in front of the closet completely naked, looking for something to wear.

"Hello there sexy lady," Roman whispered into her ear while wrapping his arms around her from behind, nibbling on her ear lobe which drew a moan from her. "Do you have a few minutes for me?"

"Roman, you know we can't do this for another 4 weeks," she panted, gasping when his hands cupped her breasts, kneading them softly.

"They said I'm not allowed to penetrate you. They didn't say anything about my hands and mouth," he tried to convince her, one hand rubbing a nipple in between his thumb and index finger while the other slid down over her breast and still slightly swollen stomach, stopping at the most intimate part of her body.

He pressed his groin against the small of her back, letting her feel his growing erection which made her gasp. His fingers were now rubbing circles over her sensitive clit, sending chills up and down her spine.

"Baby...please...not with Leni in here," she moaned, closing her eyes tightly and enjoying her husband's touch, although she tried really hard not to get turned on too much.

"She's sleeping, babygirl. Come on, let us have a little fun," he whispered, breathing heavily into her ear, surprised when she suddenly turned around.

"Do you think we can let her stay in here alone?" she asked concerned, looking over at her daughter who was still sound asleep.

"She's in the middle of that king-size bed, surrounded by pillows and blankets. Nothing's gonna happen. She's just as safe in there as she is in her crib," he tried to reason, looking at Leni again to make sure that she was okay.

When Karo nodded her head, he took her by the hand and left the room, keeping the door open so that they could hear their baby in case she was crying. Roman surprisingly opened the guest room right next to their bedroom, dragging her in there gently before quickly pressing his lips onto hers in a passionate, heated kiss.

"I really don't wanna be selfish but let's do it the quick way this time, ok? I'm about to explode," he panted in between kisses, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his boxers before hastily pulling them down, stepping out of them shortly afterwards.

"How do you wanna do it?" she asked while clasping his hard cock, stroking it slowly but with much intensity.

"69?" he more asked than stated, smiling to himself when she frantically nodded her head.

He broke the kiss abruptly, making his way over to the queen-size bed and lying down on his back, taking her hand and helping her climb over his body the other way round so that she was facing his cock and he was facing her already wet pussy.

"Are you comfortable like that?" she asked, yelping when she all of a sudden felt his tongue glide over her clit, making her roll her eyes in the back of her head.

"Hmm," Roman only replied, if this could be called a reply at all.

He kept licking her swollen nub, encircling it with his lips and sucking on it gently, letting it go with a wet pop before repeating the action once again.

He let out a loud moan when she finally wrapped her hands around his cock, taking him into her mouth inch by inch until it hit the back of her throat, almost making her gag. She let her tongue slide up and down his hardness, lapping at the precum that had already built at the head, savouring his taste.

"Oh God...," she groaned when he plunged his tongue into her slick folds, pushing deeper and deeper while squeezing and slapping her ass cheeks.

"You like that, huh? Does that feel good, babygirl?" he asked, breathing heavily. "God, I missed your pussy. I missed eating you out and tasting you."

She knew that if he kept talking to her like that, that she would soon reach her climax. But she didn't even complain. This was everything but a lovemaking session right now. They both desperately needed a release and that was what they were going to give each other.

Karo kept deep-throating him, teasing him with her tongue piercing by letting it glide over his tip over and over again, massaging his balls while doing so.

"Fuck yes," he suddenly hissed, thrusting up his hips and forcing himself deeper into her mouth. "Don't stop. That's it...right there."

He wasn't able to hold back anymore. He was surprised that it all of a sudden hit him so quickly, his orgasm washing over him in waves of pleasure. She swallowed spurt after spurt of his hot cum, almost not being able to keep up but he didn't even give her a chance to stop, thrusting into her mouth a few more times until he had finally emptied himself completely. He felt like collapsing on the bed, totally spent after what had happened just seconds ago. But he couldn't and wouldn't. He immediately continued sucking on Karo's swollen nub, replacing his tongue with his fingers so that he could plunge it into her wetness once again. He was rubbing her furiously now, feeling how her walls were tightening around his tongue. He could feel that she was close as her whole body tensed up, her moans becoming louder while her skin was covered with goosebumps all over.

"Oh God...I'm cumming...I'm cumming..." she cried out loud, arching her back when he continued with the sweet torture, immediately letting go of her throbbing clit while she was climaxing, lapping up her juices that were running down her inner thighs.

He continued for a few more minutes before finally stopping, chuckling when she collapsed on top of him, her breath still shallow.

"As much as I love your ass, but would you mind getting off of me baby?" he asked, desperately needing to get to the bathroom as Karo was lying on his bladder.

"Just tell me I'm too heavy for you," she mumbled while rolling over, now laying on her back and facing the ceiling.

"I'm not gonna start arguing with you about your weight now. You just had a baby, beautiful. It takes time getting rid of these few extra pounds. Now shut up and kiss me," he said, grinning when she moved her head to the side, not wanting to have his now swollen lips onto hers.

She was about to reply when the doorbell rang, making them both jump out of the bed in shock. They had completely lost track of the time, taking a look at the clock and realizing that Dean and Shannon must have arrived.

"HERE WE ARE BITCHES," Dean yelled from downstairs after realizing that they weren't in the living room. "WHERE ARE YOU? I'M COMING UP THERE NOW. GET DRESSED."

Roman and Karolina quickly ran into their bedroom, as fast as possible dressing themselves in the first clothes they could find, heat rising into their cheeks when the door opened hastily, bouncing back against the wall.

"Dude...what the fuck...," Roman frowned when Leni started crying, startled by the loud thud of the door against the wall.

"Sorry man. I had no idea she was in here," he apologized, rolling his eyes when at the same time Dylan started crying in Shannon's arms. "God, our kids really need to chill for a minute."

Shannon, Roman and Karolina all looked at Dean dumbfounded, shaking their heads in disbelief.

"And you need to stop being so goddamn clumsy," Roman said while taking Dylan away from Shannon, trying to soothe the little boy by running his huge hand up and down his tiny back.

"Lemme try to calm her down," Dean said, trying to get Leni but Shannon took her away from him in a matter of seconds. "Hey, what about me? Who cuddles me?"

He almost shrieked when Karo wrapped her arms around his midsection, hugging him tightly and burying her head into his chest. "There, better?"

"Hmm, a lot better. You're not wearing a bra, are you sweetheart?" he moaned, his eyes wide open when she immediately let go of him, swatting his chest playfully.

"You dirty bastard," she mumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest, giving Roman a death glare when he chuckled.

"What? I just wanna feel and see some boobies for once," he whined, wiping away an invisible tear off of his cheek.

"I swear to God, I'm gonna kill him one day," Shannon said, rolling her eyes annoyed. "Don't ever fall in love with my baby boy, little Leni. He will be just like his father."

"Get outta here now. All of you. I need to get changed so that me and Shan can get going. Out out out," she urged them, shooing them away so that they would leave the room.

She was ready after just another 15 minutes, both her and Shannon kissing their babies and men goodbye so that they could make their way to their weekly course in the hospital of Pensacola, leaving their loved ones behind.

"So, what's up, man? You look weirdly...happy," Dean said while playing with Leni's little fingers as Roman was caressing Dylan's head.

"You really don't wanna know. Trust me," he replied, a mischievous smile on his face.

Dean raised an eyebrow at his Samoan friend, giving him the 'tell me or I'll make you' look.

"Well buddy, my wife just gave me a fucking amazing blowjob," he teased his friend, grinning when he looked at him wide-eyed.

"SHE WHAT?" he almost yelled, making Leni whimper in his arms. "You lucky SOB. Did she swallow?"

"DEAN!" Roman said appalled, a frown on his face. He wasn't used to talking so openly about sex but in the end he knew that with Dean things were easy.

"What? Did she or didn't she?" he asked once again, not letting this go so easily.

"Yeah...yeah she did," he said with a sigh, bumping his fist with Dean's who was smiling at him brightly which was contagious.

"Was it good?" he wanted to know, the sheer thought of getting a blowjob making him squirm.

"You bet it was. I came so hard that she almost choked. Now that I think about it I feel kinda bad," he said, only now realizing that he had been a little rough on her.

"Don't. The girls like doing that stuff. Did you at least make it up to her?" Dean asked curiously, wanting to know every tiny detail as he wasn't getting any himself.

"69," Roman simply said, winking at Dean who groaned audibly.

"I hate you," he replied hoarsely, turning his attention to Leni now. "Your daddy is a lucky guy, you know that princess? Hey, maybe I can leave Dylan here for a sleepover party. How does that sound? Maybe then I'll get to fuck my girlfriend."

"Would you stop talking to my daughter like that? Jeez, she's a baby," Roman grumbled, rolling his eyes before speaking to Dylan this time. "And your daddy is a complete moron. Keep your mommy's boobies to yourself, son."

What Dylan did then wasn't really surprising. He yawned and stretched, once again hitting Roman's nose as he was about to place a kiss on the little boy's forehead.

"Ha, that's my boy. You lose, Reigns."


	4. Happiness and accidents

**I have to say that I'm a little disappointed in Seth for turning his back on Dean and Roman last night. I know, this is all about a storyline but still…ugh haha**

**I just can't handle them breaking up at some point soon lol**

**To put a little smile on your faces, please have a new chapter.**

**Enjoy & review! :)**

**...**

Chapter 4: Happiness and accidents

Seth glanced at his watch once again, slowly becoming quite impatient and even a little scared. Maxine should have been there for about 10 minutes and he feared that she gave him the slip. They had texted approximately half an hour ago, agreeing to meet in front of the diner just a block away from their hotel. And now she left him standing here? He had paid extra attention about his appearance today, trimming his beard neatly, his long two-toned hair in a ponytail at the nape of his neck while wearing a black cap sideway backwards. He was wearing one of his favourite shirts, the white Reebok CrossFit MeWellness one, a shirt she liked on him, or so she said a few weeks ago.

"God, I'm so sorry. I've got an urgent call and couldn't come here earlier," someone suddenly said completely out of breath, interrupting his thoughts and bringing him back to reality.

It was Maxine.

"Oh, that's okay. I just came here a few minutes ago," he lied, a huge smile on his face when he mesmerized her beauty. "Shall we go in?"

She nodded her head with a shy smile on her face, letting him lead the way and opening the door for her.

"All business-like this morning, huh?" he asked with a chuckle, looking her over from head to toe once again.

She was wearing a tight-fitting grey pencil skirt which emphasized her curvaceous hips as well as a bright red blouse with the first two buttons undone. Not enough to be able to ogle at her breasts, but enough to let his imagination go wild. Her auburn, waist long hair was once again in a tight bun on top of her head.

"Yeah, I have to get to work after breakfast," she said almost apologetically, shrugging her shoulders.

"I know," he said quietly, finally having the courage to touch her by wrapping his right arm around her waist, pulling her close before whispering into her ear. "You look friggin' hot."

She looked at him from the side and blushed, the way he kissed her neck after complimenting her sending chills up and down her spine.

"Thank you," she whispered back, immediately breaking the eye-contact as she felt slightly timid.

She had no idea why she all of a sudden felt so shy around him. She had never acted like this when they spent time with each other before.

They both sat down in a booth in the back of the diner, next to each other so that Seth could wrap his arm around her shoulders inconspicuously but he failed miserably, making her giggle.

"Sorry, I tried not to attract any attraction but I'm kinda nerdy at times," he said with a chuckle, his heart beating fast in his chest when she kept giggling.

"Did you sleep well last night?" he asked, wanting to change the subject quickly without making himself look like a fool.

"Well, it took me ages to fall asleep to be honest," she replied, snuggling even closer to him which made him cry in joy mentally.

"Is this a good or a bad thing?" he asked curiously, exactly knowing how she felt as he almost couldn't sleep all night.

"It's bad considering I'm tired as fuck right now, but it's good for you 'cause it was you I was thinking about all the time," she explained, smiling up at him from the side.

"Well, it pleases me to hear that 'cause I was thinking about you too," he replied, kissing her temple and holding her close to him. "Which brings me to something else..."

He had to ask her now. There was no way they could keep going like this without putting a stamp on it. He accepted that she didn't want the whole world to know about them, but he wanted to be able to tell his closest friends that she was indeed his girlfriend.

He was interrupted by the waitress taking their order, almost making him chicken out but he knew that he had to do this now.

"You were about to say something, weren't you?" she reminded him, moving away only slightly to be able to look into his eyes.

"Yeah...right...So, yesterday, after I went back into my room, I started thinking about all that has happened. I'm really glad you were able to open up to me and hopefully I was able to take away your fears. But when you said that you give us a chance...what exactly does that mean?" he asked, his heart beating fast in his chest, impatiently waiting for her to answer.

"Uhm...what do you think it does mean?" she wondered, not having the guts to tell him what she was really thinking deep inside.

"Ohhhh no, I asked you first. You're not doing this to me now," he teased, winking at her before looking at her expectantly.

"I'm not sure, Seth. I mean...I enjoy sitting here with you. I enjoyed your kisses last night. And whenever I see your texts, I'm all smiles. I hope I don't make a fool out of myself now but I would like to say that I really want to be called your girlfriend," she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper.

The smile that spread across Seth's face was enormous. That was easier than he had expected it to be.

"Well, that works out well because I've already decided to be your boyfriend," he said, chuckling when she looked at him with big eyes. "You just made me the happiest man alive."

Now, after making sure that they were indeed a couple, he finally bent down slightly to press his lips onto hers, very softly, enjoying the closeness to her to the fullest.

He was surprised when this time it was her that licked his bottom lip after what felt like an eternity, and he was more than happy to comply and parted his lips, welcoming her tongue with his, both of them exploring each other's mouths. But the heated and passionate kiss they were lost in was soon interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"Sorry, I didn't want to disturb," the young waitress said shyly, handing them their food and coffee, only to quickly retreat again.

"I think she was quite embarrassed," he chuckled, pecking her lips quickly before needing to let go of her as his cell phone was ringing, a sigh escaping him.

"Hey Dean. How's it? Listen dude, I actually can't...," he started to explain when he saw that it was Dean calling him, but was once again reminded that his friend didn't really care about letting others finish their sentences.

"Dude, Roman told me what's going on...that's awesome. Did you bang the chick already? Is she any good? What about her boobs?" Dean immediately asked, making Seth blush when Maxine turned to him, raising her eyebrow with a smile on her face as she apparently heard what the person on the other end was saying.

"Man, this is really not the time to talk about something like that...," he said through gritted teeth, hoping that Dean would understand that he was in company.

"Oh, she's right there with you, right? Fine, gimme a call later. I need some details. But hey, has Roman told you that Karo gave him a fucking blowjob? Like...come on, man, that's not fair. My cock needs some love as well," he complained, not realizing that Maxine could hear every single word.

She just looked at Seth and tried to suppress her laughter when he rolled his eyes annoyed, making funny faces while Dean kept talking and talking and talking.

"Look, I'm sure this isn't the first time she did that. Be happy for your buddy, dude," he said mockingly, although his friend didn't really get that he was made being fun of.

"I've been getting myself off for the last fucking decade. I'm having some severe case of blue balls," he whined, feeling sorry for himself. "Well, whatever. I've gotta get going. Shannon is in the shower and Karo and Roman are about to come over. Have fun fucking your girl."

And with that Dean hung up, leaving Seth completely speechless.

"Uhm...that was interesting," she said, taking a sip of her coffee and looking at Seth intently.

"Well...yeah...sorry 'bout that. He isn't very tactful as you can see. But hey, please don't think I'm telling people we had sex. Dean just always thinks that everybody ends up in bed at the very first date," he explained, feeling slightly uncomfortable after that awkward phone call.

"It's okay, I trust you. But I'm not dumb, Seth. I know you guys talk about stuff like that as well. Just don't tell him about my boobs though," she pleaded, taking a bite of her croissant and thereby breaking the eye contact.

"And that is why...?" he asked, letting the sentence trail off before starting to eat as well.

"I'm not sure we should have that kind of conversation just yet," she mumbled, her mouth still slightly full.

"Oh yes, I think we should," he said, his curiosity piqued now.

She kept humming and hawing, feeling uncomfortable talking about her body issues with him before he had even seen her naked. Not to forget that they had only been dating for about 10 minutes.

"I'm not really happy with them, that's all," she said, quickly sipping at her coffee again.

"Well, to me they look amazing," he said sincerely, shamelessly checking them out before looking into her eyes again.

"Now come on, don't be ridiculous. They are not proportional to the rest of my body," she said quietly, embarrassed talking about this with him.

He had to admit that they weren't the biggest he had ever seen, not one bit comparable to Karo's, but he didn't even want to think about it that much. Maxine was his one and only now and he didn't care about her cup size.

"Stop talking about yourself like that. I like what I see. Very much so," he said, about to say that he wasn't into skinny bitches but she might misunderstand this, thinking that he thought she was fat. Which she clearly wasn't.

"And I like your ass," she said bluntly, giggling when he looked at her wide-eyed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Oh well, that's fine. It just confirms that CrossFit has the effect it should have. But hey, what about my biceps? Do you like my biceps?" he asked, flexing his muscles exorbitantly, making her laugh. "Hey, I can also flex my pecs. Do you wanna see that?"

She couldn't stop laughing, loving his goofiness and the fact that he could always cheer her up whenever she felt down.

He couldn't even describe his happiness in words. Her laughter was music to his ears, the way her light green eyes were shining making his heart jump. He could easily fall in love with this woman. He wouldn't fuck this up this time. It might sound like he was rushing things but he really wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"Will you tell anyone about us? Like...at all?" he asked after they both had calmed down, hoping that she didn't want to keep him a secret.

"Of course. I immediately called my bestie after you left yesterday," she giggled, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I've told you I'm not ashamed of you. I will tell my people. I just don't want my colleagues to know just yet."

Seth just nodded his head, understanding where she was coming from, but he wouldn't mind letting the whole world know about them. He was hoping that soon he could introduce her to Karolina and Shannon, since she had already met Roman and Dean. Hopefully the girls would get along, that was something he was seriously afraid of.

"How about watching a movie tonight? Do you want to come over to my room?" he asked, eating his last piece of bacon before looking at her expectantly.

"Sure, why not. But don't expect me to stay the night," she said seriously, not wanting him to get the impression she was easy to have.

"Maxi, I'm not trying to take you to bed yet, if that's what you're thinking. I give you all the time you need," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

He knew that women were principled people, waiting for several weeks or even months to finally get intimate with their partners. He would never understand why they wanted to wait for that long, knowing that they were thinking that a guy would leave them immediately after getting what they wanted. He would never think a woman was easy just because she had sex with him shortly after entering a relationship with him. If he only wanted to have sex, then he wouldn't bother fighting to be with a woman but take a random girl and have a one night stand with her.

"Considering that you've been waiting for me for months, I really appreciate that," she said shyly, kissing his lips sweetly.

She would love to sleep with him already and she knew he wouldn't mind doing it as well but it just wasn't the time yet.

"You're worth it," he whispered into her ear, kissing her forehead softly before signalling to the waitress that he wanted to pay. "I'm sure you need to get to work. I'm hitting the gym. Don't have anything else to do anyways. Will you text me later?"

"Yep. And I'm gonna choose the movie, mister," she teased, already having planned to have him watch Dirty Dancing with her.

"Whatever you want," he replied before once again pressing his lips onto hers, showing her how much she meant to him already by putting all his passion and love into that kiss.

Finally he was happy. Finally he got what he deserved and he couldn't be more excited about the turn of events. She belonged to him now. He wasn't alone anymore. He no longer would be the third wheel. He had found his other half.

**...**

"There you go, princess," Roman said while laying Leni down on the blanket next to Dylan on the ground, making sure that his little girl was comfortable. "Hey Dean, tell your son to keep his hands off of her."

Roman and Karolina had just arrived at Dean and Shannon's house, wanting to spend the day together with their best friends who they also considered family.

"If she's just a little bit like Karo, then she won't mind," Dean said playfully while entering the living room, shocked when he saw said woman making her way over to him in a heartbeat.

"What did you just say, asshole?" she said through gritted teeth while putting him into a side headlock, his head pressed against her breast and tightening her grip when he still could move around easily.

"Ugh...stop it...," he croaked, trying to get out of the hold but she was surprisingly strong. "I'm sorry. I was just telling the truth."

She once again gripped him more tightly, the expressions on his face making Roman and Shannon laugh heartily.

"Can he even keep his tongue in his mouth for once?" Roman asked no one in particular, impressed by his wife's strength and watching her technique intently.

"Karo...uh...," he panted, trying to stand up again after having falling onto his knees, gathering all of his power until he was finally on his two feet again. "You little bitch."

"Do you quit?" Roman asked after moving closer to the two fighters, looking at Dean with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Yeah, quit. Quit, you little pussy," Karo yelled, trying to tighten the grip when she felt that he was getting the upper hand again.

"Forget it...no...," he rasped, holding up his arm when Roman wanted to check if he still had enough power.

In one fell swoop, he picked her up, startling her with the sudden movement so that she let go of his head, now stuck in a bear hug.

"Ahhh...fuck," she yelled, groaning when he started squeezing her, his arms tightly wrapped around her midsection, her boobs almost in his face.

"Do you quit now, huh? Give up, woman," he screamed, laughing evilly when she gasped for air.

"Nooo...never...," she replied, trying to kick his ass with her legs which were wrapped around his waist but he didn't even flinch.

When that didn't work, she started pulling at his hair, making him whimper.

"Ro, you need to disqualify your wifey. This is against the rules," he groaned, wanting her to let go but if he did then he would lose his grip around her waist.

"This is a No DQ match, you dumbass," Shannon suddenly yelled, high-fiving Roman who cracked up laughing.

Dean felt funny inside when Karo pushed herself up even more, his face now hid in between her breasts. He almost couldn't breathe anymore.

He cautiously got back on his knees, laying her onto the floor carefully, letting go of her so that it was only her still hanging onto him like a little monkey. He swallowed hard when he felt what the little wrestling session did to him, hoping that Karo wouldn't notice it but it was to no avail.

"AHHHH DEAN!" she suddenly yelled, immediately letting go of him when she felt his erection pressed against her clothed mound.

"What is it, babygirl? Did he hurt you?" Roman immediately asked, rushing to her side and pushing Dean away.

"No, but he has a fucking boner," she said nervously, looking at Dean shocked.

Dean was on his two feet again, raising his hands in defence and feeling terribly guilty. It's not as if he had the hots for Karo. This wasn't about her turning him on. He glanced at Shannon who looked at him wide-eyed, her eyes now fixed on the tent in his pants.

"God Dean, are you fucking serious?" Roman asked after a few long moments, but he couldn't help but start laughing.

"That's not funny, Roman," Karo said appalled, but after seeing the embarrassed look on Dean's face, she couldn't help but join her husband in laughter.

"Fuck...I'm so sorry, Karo. I didn't mean to...you know...it just happened...," he stuttered, never having been so ashamed of anything his entire life.

"Relax, dude. Back in the day when I started in FCW, I trained with this Lily chick and I got a boner as well. It's no big deal," Roman tried to ease the tension, knowing that Dean didn't think of Karo as 'I wanna bang this chick' material. "Babygirl, what did you expect? You rubbed your boobs in his face."

Dean looked at Shannon apologetically, feeling horrible that this happened right in front of her. They were having a rather hard time at the moment. Ever since Dylan was born things were becoming increasingly difficult for them. Dean was still very unskilful when it came to being a daddy, although he had made a lot of progress already. Shannon didn't get more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep at night and was tired accordingly the next day. There was no time for intimacy. They had been arguing about this endlessly and Dean simply wouldn't understand that she was too exhausted for anything like that. It's not that she didn't want him anymore, she just needed to get used to being a mommy and girlfriend at the same time.

"I'm getting us something to drink," she said quietly before leaving the room rather quickly, needing to get out of there to clear her head.

"Hey...stop. Lemme go talk to her," Roman said when Dean wanted to follow her, helping up his wife who looked at Dean sympathetically.

He promptly made his way over to the kitchen where she was bending over to get out a few bottles of water from the fridge, yelping when suddenly Roman was standing next to her.

"God, you startled me," she said, holding her chest.

"Look Shannon, this doesn't mean anything, ok?" he immediately said, taking the bottles away from her and placing them on the kitchen counter.

"Talk is cheap, Roman. Your boyfriend didn't get a fucking boner while wrestling with another woman," she snapped, opening one of the bottles and taking a huge gulp.

"Hey, that's my woman out there. I could easily freak out as well but I don't because I know that this isn't about Karo. Shan, you need to understand Dean. You guys have been fucking like rabbits for the last couple of years. And now he's not getting any," Roman tried to explain but was instantly interrupted.

"Are you blaming me for this now? Really? I'm sorry that my son seems to be a little more difficult than your daughter. He needs more attention and I'm the one who has to take care of this," she almost yelled, looking at him teary-eyed. "I'm at the end of my rope."

"I absolutely understand, ok? Do you think that this is easy for me? Maybe I'm just lucky that I'm just a little more patient than Dean is. He loves you, sweetheart. With all his heart. And he's standing in that living room right now feeling like a piece of shit. Don't take this personally. But hey, I have an idea. How about me and Karo keep Dylan for a night in a few days? You can pump off some milk or whatever you have to do and we're gonna be fine. You'll have some alone-time with your boyfriend and make things right again," he suggested, smiling when he felt that she was really considering his idea.

"Would you really do that for us? I mean, you can call whenever something's up with him and I'll pick him up," she quickly said, having a hard time letting go of her son for the first time.

"Don't worry. We're gonna have an amazing time," he reassured her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders tightly and kissing the top of her head softly, her head pressed against his well-toned chest.

"Uhm...Roman? May I ask you something?" she asked nervously after a few more moments, insecurity reflecting in her eyes when she looked up at him.

"Sure, shoot," he said curiously after letting her go, looking at her expectantly as she was fiddling with her thumbs.

"I normally would ask Karo but maybe it would be better to get your opinion on this, since you're a man. So...uhm...would you...maybe...accompany me to do some lingerie shopping? I mean, don't get me wrong...it's not that I wanna pay him back now by taking you with me but I thought that...," she stuttered but stopped when Roman chuckled.

"No worries, sweetheart. I'm glad to help. I've known Dean for quite a few years now and am sure I know what gets him off. So we're gonna find something sexy for your wild night without Dylan. But you need to do me a favour. Forgive him now. He really didn't mean it," he insisted, surprised that Shannon would ask him for help when it came to lingerie shopping but he didn't see anything wrong with that.

They all were best friends. He trusted them. And he knew that Karo trusted him. He wasn't sexually attracted to anyone but her and he was sure that Shannon wouldn't show off her boobs to him just like that. Especially after what happened with Seth and Karo years ago, they were all aware of what could happen if one of them crossed the line. It was definitely not going to happen again.

At the same time Dean and Karo were sitting next to each other in the living room, an uncomfortable silence between them which Dean finally broke after endless minutes.

"I'm sorry, princess. I don't know how this could have happened. I'm such an asshole," he groaned, running a shaky hand through his short messy hair.

"I'm not mad, Dean. It's okay. Stuff like that happens. It was still a little weird though," she giggled, taking his hand into hers and squeezing it lightly. "Roman is gonna make her forgive you. You know he's good at talking."

Dean smirked, nodding his head before looking into her eyes. "You're one of my best friends. I don't want something like this to fuck up things for us."

"It won't," Shannon suddenly said, a weak smile on her face. "I'm still pissed at you for getting a stupid boner though but hey...that's life."

Dean quickly let go of Karo's hand and made his way over to Shannon, cupping her face with both of his hands and kissing her passionately, not caring that they had an audience. "I love you, Shannon. Only you. I'm so sorry."

And one thing was for sure. He didn't lie. He loved her, with everything he had. He just really needed some sex. Quickly.


	5. I can't get no satisfaction

**My feels are still all over the place when it comes to the on-going storyline of The Shield. I don't think the WWE understands how much they're fucking with my emotions. My poor heart.**

**Well, here we go with some Shield harmony for a change lol**

**Enjoy & review!**

**...**

Chapter 5: I can't get no…satisfaction

"Now come on, Shan. You're either coming outta there or I'm coming in. Your choice," Roman said annoyed after sighing heavily, massaging his temples as he was about to have a headache. "You wanted me to accompany you and here I am. So what's the matter now?"

It had been two days since the so-called 'boner' incident between Dean and Karo, and as Roman had promised Shannon, he was in a Victoria Secret store shopping for lingerie with her.

"Ugh, it's not that easy. I'm not modelling tiny pieces of panties and bras to some guy on a daily basis, you know?" she more stated than asked, checking herself in the mirror once again, a frown on her face.

"I'm not just some guy, ok? Look, there's nothing I haven't seen already. Let me in, alright?" he pleaded, losing his patience with her as she had been hiding in the changing room for the last five minutes.

Suddenly Shannon's head peeked out in between the curtains, insecurity and uneasiness reflecting in her eyes as she looked at Roman intently. "Promise me not to laugh."

"Why the hell would I laugh? God, I've seen you in a bikini before," he groaned, grabbing both sides of the curtains and pulling them apart, quickly entering the changing room.

She automatically wrapped her arms around herself, not being used to standing in front of someone almost naked who wasn't Dean.

"Don't be shy now, sweetheart. I won't bite," he said with a reassuring smile, trying to ease the tension that was almost tangible.

"Karo says you do sometimes," Shannon countered, giggling when her friend rolled his eyes.

Roman nodded his head towards her arms which were wrapped tightly around her chest, urging her with his eyes to let go and show him what she had chosen.

"Honestly, that's not your colour," he said truthfully, looking her up and down, not liking the yellowish shade on her rather pale skin. "It doesn't suit you. Besides, you might need a bigger size."

"You think I look fat in these? Roman, I just had a baby, goddammit," she whined, turning around to look into the mirror, squeezing a rather small fat roll on her belly, surprised when Roman took her hands away so she would stop.

"I didn't say you're fat, woman. I swear, you and Karo must be twins deep inside. Would you girls just stop bitching about your weight for once? I know you both just had babies and I would never complain about any issues you think you have with your bodies. I just believe that you need a bigger cup size in that bra," he said, poking the surplus part of her boobs that wouldn't fit into the cup with his index finger, chuckling when she slapped his hand away.

"At least my nipples are hidden underneath," she giggled before shooing him out of the changing room with her hands. "Go find something for me then, mister. Put your money where your mouth is, you little wannabe expert."

It took Roman only a few more minutes to find a purple lace bra and panties set, hoping that the size he had chosen would fit her this time.

"There you go. I hope that...whoa..." he suddenly said, covering his eyes with one of his hands while extending the lingerie to her with the other one, shocked that she was in there naked.

"God, can you ask next time before coming in?" she yelped, her cheeks blushing so much that her head was as red as a tomato.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were still dressed. I swear I didn't see anything," he immediately apologized, exiting the changing area with his eyes still closed, a heavy sigh escaping his lips when he was out again.

"Maybe I should have asked Karo after all," Shannon mumbled while getting into her bra.

"Don't make such a big deal out of it now," Roman replied, rubbing a hand over his face. "But speaking of that. I guess Dean doesn't know I'm here with you?"

"He doesn't even know I'm here at all. I'm sure you told Karo though," she guessed, stepping into the panties and pushing them over her curvaceous ass.

"I did. She wasn't too happy at first. She's so damn insecure about her appearance at the moment that she's becoming rather paranoid. She thought we would be doing this to pay Dean back," he said, shaking his head in disbelief although Shannon couldn't see it.

"I know where she's coming from though. It's kinda understandable. But hey, I would never steal her man, aight?" she explained, giggling to herself when Roman huffed. "You can come in again. I'm ready."

Roman cautiously glanced into the room, relieved when she was indeed dressed so that he could step in fully now.

"Now that looks a lot better. Pretty hot, sweetie," he said, standing behind her while they were both facing the mirror, Roman's fingers fixing the straps of her bra until everything looked perfectly fine. "Dean won't believe his eyes."

"You think so? Isn't it a little too boring though?" she asked, sucking in her belly and straightening up so that her boobs were even more impressive.

"I doubt it considering that this stuff is slightly see-through," he replied, knowing that Dean would ravish her the minute he saw her.

She looked at herself from one side and then the other, from the front and from the back, feeling comfortable and even sexy in her new outfit.

"Are you cold?" he asked with a chuckle all of a sudden, pointing to her hardened nipples which were visible through the thin fabric of the bra.

"Ugh, you're horrible. Get outta here," she mumbled, covering herself up once again with one arm while she tried shoving him out of the room with the other one.

"Relax. I was just teasing," Roman laughed, tumbling out of her changing room and almost falling flat on his ass. "You think I should buy something for Karo as well?"

He moved around the store curiously, still in earshot so that he could hear her, the rather kinky latex dresses immediately catching his eye.

"Why not? If you know her size, why not go for it?" she asked, buckling her belt and zipping up her jeans before slipping into her shoes.

She was dressed quickly, not being one to take ages to get ready, so she was surprised to see that Roman was checking out this kind of lingerie. "You're into latex and leather?"

"Fuck, you startled me," he said, holding his chest in shock, his heart beating fast. "Nah, I was just curious. You're ready to get going?"

She just nodded her head, trying to suppress her laughter when she realized how embarrassed Roman seemed to be after getting caught. But what was there to be embarrassed about anyways? He had just seen her more or less naked, and it didn't really matter to her if he liked this fetish stuff or not.

Roman had become her best friend. The one she could talk to about everything under the sun. The one that would always be there for her, no matter what. And if Dean didn't like what he had chosen for her, then she was sure he would even let her kick his ass.

**...**

"Where are we going, Seth? This is kinda creepy," Maxine mumbled when Seth hadn't stopped after driving for more than thirty minutes.

After being on the road for the last couple of days, they finally had a night off where they could spend some alone-time as a brand-new couple.

"Relax. I'm not going to kill you. Not until I had you in bed at least," he teased, shrieking when she slapped his arm forcefully, both of them laughing heartily.

"You're such a dumbass," she said, looking out of the window curiously, everything around them pitch-black.

"Your personal dumbass though," he replied, changing gear as they were driving uphill now. "Trust me, ok? We're almost there."

Due to their crazy schedule, they both hadn't had a lot of time together. More than dinner and movie nights in his hotel room wasn't possible. But they cherished and enjoyed each and every minute they could be with each other.

"Here we are," he said after a couple more minutes, bringing his rental car to a halt before looking at Maxine from the side, a smile on his face when she gasped.

"Wow, this is so beautiful, Seth," she said with happiness in her voice, her eyes never leaving the sight in front of her. "Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before."

Now she understood why it took them ages to reach their destination, the view all over Seattle at night blowing her away. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"I'm glad you like it. I thought that maybe here we could spend some alone-time without anyone interrupting us. I was sick of hiding in that damn hotel room," he replied, kissing her temple softly when she had a frown on her face. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

Maxine couldn't help but hear the reproach in his statement. She knew that he must feel as if she was hiding him, keeping him a secret from their colleagues, but Seth had accepted her decision. For now.

"Let's get outta here and enjoy this," he said, interrupting her thoughts and bringing her back to reality.

While she was getting out of the car, he quickly made his way to the trunk of his rental, retrieving a picnic basket which was covered with a fluffy blanket.

"Could you spread it out while I open the bottle?" Seth asked as he was handing her the blanket, putting the basket on the ground and getting the champagne bottle, opening it with ease.

"What else is hidden in there?" she asked after sitting down, trying to catch a glimpse but he wouldn't even let her.

"You'll see. God, you're so impatient," he groaned, rolling his eyes at her playfully before winking.

"Hey, I'm just curious, okay?" she mumbled, once again trying to look into the basket but Seth shoved her away softly.

He handed her the bottle and sat down next to her, pulling two glasses out of the basket before finally retrieving a bowl full of chocolate-covered strawberries.

"Wow...are you trying to get into my pants with these?" she asked cheekily, wanting to grab one piece of fruit when he slapped her hand away gently, giving her a glass full of champagne.

"Is it working?" he wondered with a mischievous smile on his face, pecking her lips quickly before clinking his glass with hers. "Here's to us."

"Here's to us," she saluted, looking deep into his eyes while taking a sip of her beverage. "And to answer your question: yes, it might work."

Seth looked at her surprised, knowing that they both had a hard time keeping their hands to themselves, the sexual tension between them almost unbearable. It had been a while since Seth had sex for the last time. The only one he'd had sex with recently was his right hand, sometimes even the left one.

"Does it help that I brought my iPod?" he asked curiously, taking it out of the basket and quickly pushing the play button so that they could listen to one of their favourite bands which made all of this a perfect date in her eyes.

"I'm putty in your hands now," she purred, not knowing what kind of effect that had on him.

It wouldn't be the first time he was having a boner in her presence, but thankfully she had never noticed it until now. And he could only hope that it would stay like this.

"Stop teasing or I'm about to lose control," he whispered, looking deep into her eyes while his head moved closer to hers, their lips only mere inches apart from each other.

She closed her eyes, her lips parted slightly, awaiting what she had been longing for all day. A few seconds passed before she finally felt his warm lips brush against hers. At that very moment, she felt her passion for him course through her body, causing her to shake uncontrollably. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly as he began to kiss her lips. She moaned softly, kissing back to the best of her ability. A few moments later, she felt his wet tongue slide between her lips. She greeted it with her own tongue, feeling his moist breath in her mouth. As they rubbed their tongues against each other, she felt his hands slide down her back and to her bottom. She squirmed playfully as he squeezed her ass lightly and wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed passionately, holding each other in their warm embrace, expressing their unspoken love.

Yes, this was what he liked to call love. He wouldn't tell her just yet. It was way too early for this still. He would probably scare her away with that confession, and so he decided to keep it to himself for now. He just wanted to enjoy this: the butterflies in his stomach, his ragged breath, the fast beating of his heart...He was happy. He was in love.

"Wow..." she panted as soon as she broke the kiss after several more minutes, both of them completely out of breath but it was definitely worth it.

"Yeah...wow...," he sighed contently, pecking her lips over and over again. "I can't get enough of you."

He started nibbling at her earlobe, breathing heavily into her ear which sent chills up and down her spine. If he kept going like this, then she wouldn't have any more strength left to deny him for much longer.

"What about those strawberries?" she moaned, loving the feeling of his lips against the skin of her neck, her whole body covered in goosebumps.

"Are you hungry? Because I sure as hell am," he mumbled against her skin, his hand still on her ass, squeezing softly.

"Seth, please stop," she pleaded unconvincingly, knowing that although she was trying to tell him to stop, she actually wanted him to keep going.

Seth immediately let go of her, mentally slapping himself for not being in control of his actions. This woman was driving him insane. He lost all of his power when he was around her, and although he had promised her to give her all the time she needed, he couldn't stop bringing them in these kinds of situations.

"God, I'm sorry, Maxi. I really didn't mean to...," he started to apologize but she stopped him mid-sentence by pressing her index finger over his swollen lips.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm not mad. Just gimme a little more time," she stated quietly, pressing another sweet kiss onto his lips before looking deep into his eyes. "You won't have to wait much longer though, I promise."

That brought a huge smile on Seth's face, making her giggle. He looked like a little boy in a candy shop. He was such an adorable but at the same time sexy man. He had everything she had been searching for in a man: he was funny, smart, honest, caring, goofy, good-looking...the list goes on and on.

They both straightened up a little, sitting next to each other closely while mesmerizing the beautiful sight in front of them. No words had to be spoken, the silence between them comfortable. This was better than any Hollywood movie she had ever seen. She would never have thought that Seth could be so romantic.

She was on cloud 9. And so was Seth. Finally.

**...**

Shannon felt as though she was about to lose her virginity. She kept checking her appearance in the mirror for the hundredth time now and she still felt insecure. What if Dean didn't like that new lingerie she bought? What if she couldn't relax and fuck things up before they even started?

"Babe, where you at?" Dean suddenly yelled, his footsteps coming closer and closer to the bedroom she was standing in, making her even more nervous. "Shan, are you in...?"

Dean wasn't even able to finish his sentence, letting it trail off when he saw his beautiful girlfriend in front of him in nothing but her purple lingerie and a pair of black 3-inch high heels.

"Jeez, what's up with you?" he asked dumbfounded, eyeballing her appreciatively with a mischievous smirk on his face. _Hmm, purple, _he thought to himself.

Shannon just rolled her eyes and sighed annoyed. "Really? I was trying to surprise you with this and you ask what's up with me?"

She doubted that Dean would ever be able to find the right words at the right time. It was devastating but she still loved him though.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little...astonished," he admitted, making his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist before placing his hands on her ass, squeezing it gently. "You look fucking hot though. Damn!"

"Mission accomplished," she said with a chuckle, pressing her lips onto his softly, kissing them sweetly.

"Where's Dylan?" Dean asked in between kisses, the blood he desperately needed in his brain now sinking in between his legs, making his cock hard.

"He's staying with Roman and Karo tonight. We're having the house to ourselves," she whispered into his ear, nibbling at his earlobe and smiling to herself when he gasped.

She gently pressed her lips onto his again, placing her hands on his shirt-covered chest, moaning when he licked her bottom lip softly. She immediately opened her mouth, granting him access and letting his tongue meet hers, both of them exploring each other. He longed for her. He wanted to feel her, taste her and savour her. It had been so long.

The kiss grew even more passionate after each second passing by and Dean wasn't able to hide his arousal anymore. He pressed his body closer to hers, letting her feel his growing erection against her abdomen. She breathed in sharply, feeling the wetness in between her legs increase almost instantly.

"Get outta your clothes," she demanded, not having the patience to prolong this any longer. She had to have him now.

"Whoa...very demanding today, aren't we?" he wondered, surprised that although he was the one always complaining of not getting any, it was her who was calling the shots this time.

Shannon decided not to answer, watching him as he pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it away aimlessly, only to let his jeans and boxers follow shortly afterwards.

She held her breath when she saw his ever-growing erection, wanting to please him with her mouth, tasting and teasing him, but she knew they both were in desperate need for each other so that this had to wait until the next time.

She moved closer to him and clasped his hard cock, stroking it gently before pressing her lips onto his once again. She couldn't wait to feel him inside of her again. The lack of sex during the last few weeks and even months was showing and she was becoming immensely impatient. She needed him now.

"Now you take off your clothes...if you can call it that," he ordered, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her panties, jerkily pushing them down so that she only had to step out of them. "You look so hot in that bra, sweet cheeks. It's a shame you have to get outta it...I wanna lick your nipples."

He swallowed hard when she was finally naked, the bra she had just taken off ending up in the pile of clothes next to the bed. She looked gorgeous, absolutely stunning.

He took her hand into his and slowly led her to the bed, picking her up quickly and gently laying her down on the mattress with her back. He now stood over her, taking in her beauty and licking his lips in anticipation. He could not wait to feel her around his cock again.

It was strange feeling the way he felt now. Normally he would have thought that he was so extremely horny that he couldn't even show her love. But he was gentle with her. Not animalistic or rough. He was surprised by the control he still had.

He spread her legs slightly and placed her ankles on his shoulders before getting comfortable on his knees. He teased her wet entrance with the tip of his throbbing length, slapping her clit with it, making her whimper and push her hips up to meet him. She was desperate. He could see it by the look on her face. He didn't want to torture her anymore. He needed this just as much as she did. Maybe even a little more.

With one quick thrust he plunged himself inside of her, the feeling of her wetness around his shaft almost making him lose his mind. He had missed that. He had missed being inside of her, of losing himself in her hot, wet core. He never wanted this feeling to ever end again.

His movements were agonizingly slow at the beginning, but after giving her a few moments to adjust to his size, he immediately sped up. The increasing wetness in between her legs making it easy to slide in and out of her, over and over again.

"God, you feel so good," he moaned after endless minutes of making love to her, looking deep into her eyes while plunging himself into her repeatedly.

Both of her hands grabbed his biceps, digging her nails into them when he had once again increased his pace. She was sure they both wouldn't last that much longer. They had been hungry for each other so much that she didn't think they would even make it that far.

One last time he sped up, the sounds of their bodies slamming against each other enough to finally send him over the edge. He screamed out loud, pushing himself even deeper inside of her until he could feel the familiar pulsating around his throbbing length, mixing her juices with his. Hearing her scream his name made this orgasm all the more intense. It was mind-blowing.

"Yes baby, cum for me...come on," he urged her when her orgasm was still washing over her, loving the feeling of her tightened walls around him, milking him for all he had left.

He remained still for a couple of minutes, both of them trying to steady their breathing, enjoying the closeness to each other to the fullest.

In that very moment Shannon realized how important it was not only to concentrate on being a mother, but also to keep in mind that she was a woman that was longing for love. A love that Dean would give her if only she let him. It wasn't fair shutting him out. He needed her as much as she needed him. They might be parents now, but they shouldn't forget that they were also lovers.

"That was wonderful," she whispered, burying one hand in his short, messy hair before placing a sweet kiss onto his lips.

"You can say that again," he panted, sliding out of her softly before plopping down on the mattress next to her, his arm immediately wrapping itself around her shoulders so that she could place her head on his strong, muscular chest.

There was a comfortable silence between them, both of them cherishing this moment as much as they could. It had been ages since they had last been so intimate with each other.

"Where did you get that lingerie though?" he asked curiously, drawing circles on her shoulder with his fingers, his eyes fixed on the ceiling above them.

"Actually it was Roman who helped me pick it out...at Victoria Secret's," she said nonchalantly, yelping in shock when Dean suddenly raised his head in confusion.

"Roman helped you? What the actual fuck?" he mumbled, looking at her expectantly and raising an eyebrow at her when she giggled.

"Come on. What is worse? Getting a boner while wrestling a woman or asking a friend to help shopping for lingerie?" she teased, a huge smile on her face.

Dean slowly laid back down again, knowing that she was absolutely right. So he decided to remain silent.

"I love you, Dean," she said quietly after a brief moment, kissing his chest softly and snuggling even closer to him.

"And I love you, sweet cheeks. Don't let me wait that long again. Ever," he begged, kissing the top of her head gently before letting out a heavy sigh.

He was satisfied. For now. But he was definitely up for round 2 already. And he would get what he wanted, no matter what.

**...**

Maxine had no idea why she decided to spend the night in Seth's hotel room after their romantic picnic just a few hours ago. She had told him many times that she felt it was still too early, but he had promised her not to push her anymore, and he had kept that promise. Thankfully.

But now here she was, sharing a bed with Seth who was spooning her from behind, and she simply couldn't fall asleep.

What didn't help matters was the fact that he seemingly had a very lively dream which made him toss and turn, even making him mumble in his sleep.

She wasn't sure if she should wake him or not, thinking that maybe he was having a nightmare, but as soon as she was about to turn around to shake him gently, his mumbles became words. Words that were making her curious.

"Hmm...yes...Karo...just like that," he groaned in his sleep, making Maxine's heart beat fast in his chest.

Was he dreaming about another woman? About Karo who apparently was his best friend? And what did the tent in his boxers mean?

She was confused, not sure what to feel. Should she be mad at him? Or should she feel heartbroken? What did all of his have to mean?

She cautiously untangled herself from his embrace, deciding that she didn't want to stay in one bed with him any longer. But she stopped dead in her tracks when Seth started talking again.

"Maxine...oh yes...God...," he moaned, if that was even possible while being asleep.

Maxine looked at him wide-eyed, even more confused about this now after hearing him say her name as well. So he was dreaming about her and Karo? Moaning and panting, a tent in his boxers? She couldn't suppress a giggle, the hurt she was feeling just a few moments ago immediately gone. Maybe she was overreacting. He was just having a dream. That didn't have to mean anything.

Maybe she should really give in soon so that he didn't have this liquid dreams anymore. Maybe he was longing for her, or sex, so much that the thought wouldn't let him go even in his sleep. It was only natural, she more than once had felt that way before.

If she only knew about his past with Karo. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so careless about that 'innocent' dream, would she?


	6. Family reunion

**I somehow didn't really feel like writing during the last couple of days but managed to get this chapter done. I hope you like it though :)**

**Enjoy & review, my lovely readers!**

**…**

Chapter 6: Family reunion

"Don't be so nervous, babe. They're gonna love you," Seth said with a smile on his face, squeezing Maxine's hand softly while she looked out of the plane window absently.

He had somehow convinced her of accompanying him to Pensacola to visit Roman, Karolina, Dean, Shannon and their babies, wanting her to meet the girls in particular. He knew that if he wanted this to work with Maxine, he had to make sure that his favourite women would get along with each other.

"I'm sorry. I just can't help it. I'm not worried about Roman and Dean though. I mean...I'm positive they like me. But what about Shannon and Karolina?" she asked, looking at him with insecurity reflecting in her eyes.

"What about them? They are two of the most amazing and friendliest girls I've ever met. Karo is my best friend after all. She wants me to be happy and if it's you that's making me happy, then she's gonna take you into her heart without a question," he encouraged her, raising her hand which was still in his and kissing it softly.

Maxine took a deep breath, licking her suddenly very dry lips. She had never confronted him over the dream he had over a week ago, but knowing that she would soon meet the woman that was starring his wet dream made her even more nervous now.

"Well, I guess I should believe you then...," she mumbled, once again looking out of the window to see that they were about to land soon.

"You should. You actually should believe in all of us. 'Cause we're the Shield," he teased, his heart making a jump when she started giggling.

God, he so badly wanted to tell her that he loved her. He wanted her to know just how deep his feelings were running for her. He wanted the whole world to know that he was in love with this woman. But he knew it was still too soon. Way too soon.

"Is someone going to pick us up?" she asked after they collected their suitcases at the baggage claim, the sun that was shining through the glass window making it unbelievable hot in the airport.

"Nope, I got us a rental car. The guys are preparing a barbecue and with the babies around they don't really have the time to pick us up," he replied, taking both suitcases so that she only had to carry a small bag.

"How long have Karo and Roman been together?" she asked curiously while putting on her sunglasses, the confused look Seth gave her remaining unnoticed.

"Uhm...a couple of years already. About 4 or 5, I think. Why?" he wondered, turning a corner to where all the rental cars were always parked.

"Just out of curiosity," she said, shrugging her shoulders innocently and watching him putting their baggage into the trunk. "I don't know much about them is all."

He made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close, a smile on his face. "You'll get to know them this weekend. They're a crazy bunch of people but I love them."

She just didn't know just how much he used to love one of them in the past.

**...**

_Knock knock knock_

_Knock knock knock_

"Maybe you should try with the doorbell again. They obviously don't hear your knocking," Maxine advised after Seth had been knocking on the front door several times, his impatience getting the best of him.

"I dunno what takes them so long. They are four grown ass people, can one of them for once open the fucking door?" he huffed, knocking once again but it was to no avail. "You know what? Let's see if they're in the garden."

He took her hand in his, leaving the suitcases in front of the main door before softly dragging her to the small path that was adjoining to the beach, knowing that there was a small garden door that would lead to Roman and Karolina's back porch.

"Well, look at them. Bet they wouldn't notice us if we just kept standing here?" he asked, pointing towards his friends who were busy preparing everything in the garden, a smirk on his face.

"SETHIIIIIIIE," someone suddenly yelled, startling them both.

"Well, you lost," Maxine said with a chuckle, watching intently as the woman she knew must be Karolina was making her way over to them.

"It's soooo good to have you back," she said after jumping over the fence, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly and hugging him close. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too, babe," he whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek softly before gently letting go of her. "But hey, there is someone I would like you to meet."

Karolina looked at Maxine with a happy smile on her face, shaking her head almost imperceptible when the other woman extended her hand.

"Welcome to the family, Maxine," she said, opening her arms and embracing the auburn-haired girl softly, giggling when she heard Seth's girlfriend gasp. "It's nice to finally meet you."

It was needless to say that Maxi was surprised by the warm welcome she had been given by the woman that was still a stranger to her, but at the same time it relieved her to realize that she was liked already.

"Thanks. The pleasure is all mine," she said with a shy smile on her face, taking Seth's hand into hers and squeezing it lightly.

"Come on now. Don't be afraid. We don't bite. Although Dean sometimes does. He's a sick guy," Karo said with a chuckle, opening the garden gate for them before leading the way to where all the others were hanging out.

"Hey guys...look who's back home," Karo shouted, getting everybody's attention almost immediately.

"Dude, how come you got here through the garden?" Roman asked dumbfounded before putting the barbecue tongs onto the table next to the BBQ grill.

"Because you fucking idiots didn't hear us knocking," he scoffed, fist bumping his Samoan friend and hugging Dean before turning his attention to Shannon who was giving him a death glare.

"Language, Mr Rollins. There are children around," she admonished, trying her best to look at him angrily but didn't succeed, bursting out laughing when Seth raised an eyebrow at her. "Come here, sexy boy."

With Dylan on her right arm, she wrapped her left one around his neck, kissing his cheek before turning around to face Maxine who had been watching the scene in front of her intently.

"You must be Maxine then. It's so nice to meet you. I'm Shannon and this little cheeky monkey right here is Dylan, my son," she said, hugging her as well before letting her take a closer look at Dylan.

"Gosh, he is such a cutie. Hey little man...hey...open your eyes," Maxi pleaded, gasping when little Dylan really opened them, showing her his beautiful ocean blue eyes that immediately captivated her.

"He has his daddy's eyes. Very dangerous," Shannon chuckled, kissing her son's forehead lovingly before fixing his cap that was shielding his head from the sun.

"Ambrose, lemme guess, you chose these clothes," Seth said, once again checking Dylan's black 'Batman' outfit that even had a cape on the back of the shirt.

"You bet I did. He looks fucking cool, doesn't he?" he more stated than asked, pinching his son's cheeks before looking at Maxine who was still fascinated by the little boy. "Miss Maxine, it's nice to finally meet you again."

And Dean wouldn't be Dean if he wasn't just going to set free the big gentleman in himself once again by taking her hand into his and kissing the back of it lightly, immediately getting swatted by his girlfriend.

"I'm sorry," Maxine said timidly, blushing slightly when all the others started laughing.

"No, I'm sorry, sweetheart. I was dumb enough to get pregnant by this idiot. He just can't help flirt with the ladies. It's in his nature," Shannon said, pinching Dean's cheek just like he did a minute ago with his son.

"Maxine, glad you could make it," Roman said with his deep baritone voice, extending his hand which she gratefully took, but surprised that he even kissed her cheek. "Now we're finally complete."

"Yes, we finally are. I'm so happy for you two," Karo said, clapping her hands like an excited toddler. "Are you guys hungry? We have tons of steaks and salads. I even made a German potato salad according to my grandmother's recipe. You have to try it. It's sooo yummy."

"Well, that sounds good...but uhm...where's Leni?" Seth asked puzzled, looking around the garden but the little girl was nowhere to be found.

"See, I told you he was imprinted on her," Karo said towards Roman, giggling when he growled at her. "Well, she's upstairs taking a nap but I was about to get her or she won't sleep tonight."

"Which she doesn't anyways but thank God I can't breastfeed her," Roman said, mockingly holding his chest and winking at his wife.

"Asshole," she scoffed, making her way into the house so that she could get her daughter.

"I'll be right back," Seth whispered into Maxine's ear before kissing her temple softly, following Karo into the house and leaving her alone with the rest of his friends, not knowing how uneasy he made her feel by this simple action.

"Uhm...," she said, swallowing hard before looking around unsure, not knowing what to do next but thankfully Shannon noticed her uneasiness.

"Come here, sit with me and Dylan while the guys take care of the steaks," she said before sitting down on one of the chairs that were placed around a huge table which was already filled with lots of salads, bread and different dips.

"So, tell me a little about yourself," Shannon said, turning slightly so that she could face Maxine properly. "Where are you from?"

"Well...uhm...actually I'm from California. Santa Monica, to be exact. I have a small apartment there but most of the time I'm not even there," she replied, tucking some strands of hair behind the ear. "Seth told me that you and Karo lived in San Fran before. Beautiful city."

"Oh yeah...we had one hell of a time before we met these goofballs," she answered, smiling when for the first time she made Maxine giggle. "I'm really happy that you and Seth found each other. He deserves to be happy."

Maxi didn't really know what to say. She had no idea they all were that close to each other. To her this felt more like a family reunion than just meeting a few friends. It was enviable. But she hoped that one day she would belong there as well.

At the same time Seth was right behind Karo, following her into Leni's room so that he could see the little princess again. He had only seen her once yet, but immediately fell in love with her the minute he first saw her.

"She's still asleep?" Seth asked when they entered her room, soft and steady snores filling the room and making him smile.

"Yes, but I'm gonna wake her. She's been sleeping for more than two hours now," Karo replied in a whisper, caressing her daughter's head softly before cautiously picking her up. "Plus, I'm sure she's hungry."

Seth smiled when Leni made some squealing noises, stretching and yawning when she became more and more awake with each movement her mommy made.

"It's dinner time, sweetie," Karo said to her daughter, sitting down on the rocking chair with the little girl in her arms, awkwardly trying to push up her shirt to reveal her rather unsexy nursing bra.

"Uhm...should I leave? I mean..yeah...I think I'd better get going now," Seth said nervously when he watched the scene in front of him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Seth. You've seen me with fewer clothes," she retorted, finally being able to free her right breast from the bra and guiding little Leni closer to her so that she could start eating.

"That might sound absolutely stupid right now but that's a beautiful sight right there," Seth admitted, admiring the closeness between a mother and a child that nobody else could ever have with another person.

It was so intimate, not in a sexual but in an emotional way. He was humbled to be a part of this.

"That's what Roman said the first time he saw it," she said, smiling at Seth before turning her attention back to her daughter. "She's quite hungry at the moment though. She wakes me almost every two hours at night."

"Exhausting, I guess," he replied, watching Leni in awe.

"You bet it is. But she's worth it," she stated, sighing heavily when she saw the content expression on her baby's face. She was such a beautiful little thing.

"Would you like to change her diaper?" Karo asked after she was done a couple of minutes later, sniffling on her baby's nappy before continuing. "You're lucky. She only peed."

Seth simply nodded his head, following his best friend to the changing table where she laid the baby down.

"There you go, Sethie. She's all yours," she said, giggling when he looked a little lost at first, but was immediately amazed to see how natural he was at this whole father thing when he started undressing Leni.

"So, tell me...how's it going with you and Maxine?" she asked curiously, looking at him from the side and chuckling when his tongue was stuck in between his lips as he was concentrating.

"That woman is driving me insane. I swear to God, I've never been so happy in my whole life. She's the best thing that could have happened to me," he said truthfully, throwing the used diaper into the trash can before getting a fresh one.

"Did you...uhm...you know...," Karo more or less asked, hoping that he would understand where she was going with this.

"Have sex? Nope, not yet. But if we don't soon, I'm gonna bust. My blue balls are killing me," he admitted, making her crack up laughing. "Hey, that's not funny."

"Ah...now come on, you can always help yourself," she defended herself, still giggling.

"We both know that's not the same. Or would you prefer your vibrator over Roman's dick?" he countered, looking at her expectantly after taking the pink Hello Kitty summer dress Karo was handing him.

"Uhm...no...you win," she said, fascinated to see just how easy it seemed to Seth to be dressing her little daughter.

"I always win," he teased, kissing her cheek before picking up Leni who immediately snuggled closer to her uncle. "Did you miss me, princess? Because I sure as hell missed you."

"Let me get her bonnet real quick. I have the feeling that her black hair attracts the sun even more now," Karo said jokingly, rummaging through Leni's closet to find the corresponding Hello Kitty bonnet.

"Her hair has grown so much already," Seth noticed, staring into the little girl's beautiful blue eyes, falling in love with her over and over again.

"It's definitely Roman's hair," she said with a chuckle, kissing Leni's forehead before pulling the bonnet over her head.

They quickly made their way downstairs, the smell of freshly grilled steaks filling the air, making everybody hungry.

It was such a beautiful and peaceful day in Pensacola. No clouds could be seen, the sounds of the waves hitting the shore the only thing to be heard together with the singing birds.

"Hey, there's my little girl," Roman said happily when he saw his daughter, wishing he could spend time with her 24/7 but in the end he was thankful when she slept a few hours a day so that both he and Karo could get some rest.

"You're sure you wanna try taking her away from me?" Seth asked, a mischievous smirk on his face. "We know how this ended the last time."

"Keep her," Roman grumbled, not wanting to experience this again as it had honestly broken his heart a little, although he knew that his behaviour had been very childish back then.

"The steaks are almost done," Dean announced, clapping his hands to get his friends' attention. "Now sit on your asses and lemme get some beer. We need to get shitfaced."

But was that really such a good idea? It was no secret that Dean couldn't keep his mouth shut when he was drunk…

**...**

It was late in the evening when Maxine had finally warmed up to everybody, the alcohol she had been drinking probably helping matters but why would she even care? She was happy that both Shannon and Karolina had accepted her the way she was, being happy that she was the woman at Seth's side and that made her more than just happy.

"So, Roman actually wanted to be as cool as me and do the ninja jump into the ring, only to fall flat on his ass. God, I still piss my pants just thinking about this," Seth chuckled, making everybody laugh with his little anecdote.

"Pfft...at least my hair looks majestic," Roman said, trying to somehow defend himself but he made the others laugh even harder. "Ugh... come on...does somebody have a funny story about Seth?"

Roman looked at each and every person, one by one, but they all seemed to have Seth's back. Everyone but Maxine.

"Uhm...well...I don't know if it's funny...but...I think it's quite entertaining," she said, giggling when Seth looked at her with a frown on his face.

"Ha, I'm gonna love this. Spill the beans, doll-face," Dean encouraged her, leaning back in his chair and taking a huge gulp of his beer.

"So...well...over a week ago I spent the night at Seth's hotel room," she began, only to be interrupted by Dean again.

"Oh yes...that's a promising start. He came the minute he plunged himself into you, didn't he? Haha You're such a loser, Rollins," he cracked up laughing, shrieking when Seth threw a piece of bread at his head.

"Uhm...nah...that's not it. Actually, he was having a dream. A dream that made him talk in his sleep," she explained, looking at Seth with an evil smile on her face.

She didn't know if it was such a good idea to tell them about the whole thing, but now that she saw how they were acting around each other, she was sure that they were really open and honest amongst themselves. So why not go for it?

"I was actually quite pissed when he moaned Karo's name. I was about to leave his hotel room when he did, but then, as I was about to go, he moaned mine as well. Which was really confusing. Especially because he had a huge bulge in his boxer briefs," she said, finishing her little story with a chuckle, happy that she could make Shannon and Dean laugh, but when she looked at Roman, Karo and Seth, she was surprised that they remained rather silent.

"Uhm...I shouldn't have said this, right? I'm sorry, Seth. I didn't even mean it. I thought it was funny," she immediately apologized, not realizing that Karo took Roman's hand into hers, squeezing it lightly to let him know that everything was fine.

"It's okay...really. I just...well...maybe you should have told me before you told them all," he said with a weak smile on his face, kissing her lips quickly to convince her that she didn't do anything wrong.

"Hey, I thought it was quite funny. Don't you think?" Karo asked, looking at them all intently, giving them a silent sign to agree with her or else Maxine would become suspicious.

"Yeah...right. I mean, don't we all dream stuff like that once in a while? Just recently I dreamed of having a shower with Roman," Shannon said nonchalantly, trying to ease the tension that was clearly filling the air.

"YOU WHAT?" Karo and Dean screamed simultaneously.

"Jeez, relax...I was just teasing," she mumbled, raising her hands in a defensive manner.

"Anyone want more beer?" Roman quickly asked, not wanting to discuss this any further or his mood would change considerably and not in a positive way.

"Yeah, I guess we all could use a little more to drink," Seth said, once again kissing Maxine's lips softly as she still seemed to be confused about the different reactions by her new-found friends. "I'll be back in a few."

He quickly followed Roman into the kitchen, wanting to explain himself although he didn't even know what the hell he had been dreaming about. He couldn't even remember. Not at all.

"Dude, look...," he started but was cut off mid-sentence by his Samoan friend who took a couple of beer bottles out of the fridge.

"I don't even wanna know," he said quietly, not being able to look into his friend's eyes as he was opening the bottles.

"I don't care if you wanna know or not. Don't be ridiculous, Roman. I had a fucking dream, so what? No biggie, right? I can't even remember. You're overreacting. Just like you always do when it comes to me and Karo. You promised me that this would from now on stay in the past. But something as trivial as that upsets you again? Really?" he vented, annoyed that he had apparently dreamed about something like that in the first place.

Roman remained silent for several moments, not knowing what he wanted to say next. He knew that Seth was right. He had made a promise and at the first occasion broke it again. That just wasn't fair. Not to him and not to Karo. And especially not to Maxine who wasn't even involved in this drama that had taken place years ago.

"I'm sorry, man. I'm drunk as fuck and you know how I can act when I am," Roman apologized, patting his two-toned friend's shoulder gently. "I was wrong. You're clearly in love with that girl and I want you to be happy. Sorry for being such a dick sometimes."

Both Seth and Roman knew that they should end that conversation right then and there, knowing that in their drunken state they wouldn't come out of this with a smart and intelligent discussion. Especially not when it involved Karo.

Karo, who was seemingly also topic of conversation between Dean and Maxine who were still outside while Karo and Shannon went to look after their children who both had woken up each other, probably hungry.

"You really are a cool chick, Maxine. I mean...we've been waiting for someone like you for aaaages," Dean slurred, raising his beer bottle and clinking it with hers.

"Ah, come on...I bet Seth introduced you to dozens of chicks over the years. I'm not that special," she insisted, taking a sip of her beverage before placing the bottle on the table.

"Ha, that's where you're wrong. You're the first girl he brought to us ever since I've known him," Dean explained, chuckling when she looked at him wide-eyed. "I mean, after what happened between him and Karo, it took him a really long time to get over her. It's pretty awesome that you're so relaxed about them being that close again. It took Roman an eternity to accept their closeness again. I doubt he will ever fully trust them again."

Maxine just looked at Dean confused, a frown on her face. What the hell was he even talking about? Seth and Karolina? They had...a past together?

"You're alright, doll-face?" Dean asked when she remained silent, the way she was staring into space perplexing him.

"What? I mean...yeah, sure, yes I'm fine. All of this alcohol is just messing with my head," she said, trying to laugh this off. "So, Seth has told me soooo many things about him and you all, especially with Karo. But...uhm...what exactly do you mean?"

Every other human being in the world would probably become suspicious now. But not Dean. He wouldn't even think about her question too much, not sensing that she had no idea what he was talking about. So what did he do? He answered. In all honesty.

"You know...with him being in love with her and stuff. That was a pretty difficult situation for all of us. Especially with them almost fucking on that damn kitchen counter when she was pregnant with Joshua. I'm sure Roman still blames Seth for his death," he babbled, not realizing that everything he was telling her was news to her.

"Oh that...yeah...sure. But well, as you said...I'm a cool chick, huh? The past is in the past," she giggled, playfully of course.

But deep down she was hurt. Her heart felt heavy in her chest. And she honestly had no idea what to make out of this new information. Did all of this still have a meaning today? Did Seth still love Karo?

She kept thinking about the way Karo and Seth had greeted each other when they had arrived earlier that day. The way they were wrapped in each other's arms, kissing and cuddling, telling one another how much they missed the other one.

And to think that they were almost having sex while she was pregnant with another man's child was the icing on the cake. It showed her that both of them clearly didn't care if there were in a relationship with someone else or not.

She doubted him. She doubted her relationship. She doubted everything.


	7. Is it too late now?

**Here we go with a new chapter!**

**ShannonTheAwesomeOne, thanks for some great ideas which I used for this one :)**

**I hope you all like it!**

**Enjoy and review! :)**

**...**

Chapter 7: Is it too late now?

It was only a few minutes later that Seth and Roman entered the garden again, followed by Shannon and Karo who had fed their babies which were now sleeping again peacefully.

But peaceful was something Maxine definitely wasn't in that very moment.

"I'm going to bed," she mumbled when Seth sat down next to her again, moving her head away when he wanted to kiss her lips.

"Babe, are you okay?" he asked confused, staring at her when she stood up. "Hey, I told you it was okay to tell the others about the dream. No big deal."

"Yeah, no big deal. But what is the fucking definition of a big deal then, huh?" she snapped, immediately breaking the eye contact with him before turning to the others. "Good night."

Karolina didn't miss that she was the only one that wasn't addressed by Maxine's salutation, the death glare the slightly older woman had given her not remaining unnoticed.

"Maxine, is everything alright?" Karo asked concerned, not understanding the sudden change of mood of Seth's girlfriend.

"Oh, I'm fine, Karolina. I hope you are as well," she scoffed, finally turning around to go into the house, leaving the others back with confusion written all over their faces.

"Uhm…okay…what happened?" Seth wondered, directing his question to Dean who was the only one who could know.

"Well…uh…I dunno. That's kinda weird. Just a few minutes ago she was joking with me but once the conversation became a little more serious, she started acting strange," he explained, shrugging his shoulders innocently, not knowing that what he did was a huge mistake.

"You were having a serious conversation with her? How is that even possible if you can't have one with me?" Shannon asked dumbfounded.

"Dunno. God, stop interrogating me. I'm not a criminal. For once I was being honest with someone and every time I am, I'm doing something wrong," Dean grumped, rolling his eyes in annoyance when all of his friends were staring at him. "What?"

"What did you guys talk about, Dean?" Roman asked, his voice quiet and very calm.

"Well, I told her I thought she was a pretty cool chick. Especially with everything that happened between Seth and Karo," he said nonchalantly, frowning when Seth got up so hastily that his chair fell back.

"YOU WHAT?" he yelled, about to jump over the table to grab Dean by the collar of his shirt but Roman held him back just in time. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"What is it, dude? She said she knew. Why are you freaking out now?" he asked, still not understanding that he had fucked up big time.

"Of course she DIDN'T know, you fucking idiot," Seth screamed, trying to get out of Roman's grip but the Samoan was a lot stronger than he was.

"Uhm…no?" he asked puzzled, scratching the back of his head, feeling slightly uncomfortable right now. "Man, I had no idea. She acted as if she did. Fuck...I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? YOU'RE FUCKING SORRY? Are you kidding me?" the two-toned man yelled furiously, once again trying to get to Dean but Roman held him back with both of his arms.

"Shut up now. You're not making this any better," Roman said through gritted teeth, annoyed that Dean once again couldn't keep his mouth shut when for once he should have. "Let's go inside. You need to calm down."

The Samoan dragged his friend into the house, shoving him into the living room and almost making him tumble.

"Sit down," he roared when Seth wanted to get up again immediately. "You need to relax now."

"I need to talk to my girl. Or is this also forbidden now? I think I have a right to put things straight after one of my so-called best friends betrayed me," he scoffed, seething with anger when once again Roman pushed him back onto the couch.

"He didn't do it on purpose and you know that," he replied, sitting down on the arm rest of the couch, right next to Seth.

"So what? It doesn't matter. The girl I love is up there, probably about to plan on leaving me because of things that don't even mean anything anymore," he huffed, burying his face into his hands, sighing heavily.

"You…love her?" Roman asked surprised, taken aback by this open confession. He knew Maxine meant a lot to Seth but he had no idea it was THAT much already.

"Yes…I do…with all my heart. She doesn't know. I haven't told her yet. Maybe I should have because right now it might be too late," he said quietly, his voice almost a whisper.

"No. It's not too late. Let me handle this. I'm gonna talk to her now," Roman said, slowly getting up and facing his friend again. "Promise me to stay in here. Don't freak out and beat the living shit out of Dean. I know you want to but that doesn't make things better."

"Oh, I'm sure I would feel great after knocking him out though," he answered, holding up his hands in defence when Roman looked at him warningly. "Fine…I'll stay here."

He watched as his friend walked up the stairs, fear running through his veins. Fear of losing the love of his life. He could only hope that Roman would be able to reach her with his words, knowing that his Samoan friend had a way with words that nobody else had.

"Seth?" a small voice asked a few moments later, interrupting his thoughts and immediately bringing him back to reality.

Seth lifted his head and turned his attention to where the voice was coming from, seeing an insecure Karolina standing in the doorframe, her hands stuffed in the front pockets of her jeans.

"Come in," he said, motioning with his head to the place next to him, not wanting her to feel scared of him.

She carefully made her way towards him, not sure if he was still angry or not. She had seen him like that before but the way he had acted in front of Dean just a few minutes ago had even shocked her.

"I'm so sorry, Seth," she mumbled after sitting down next to him, her eyes fixed on her hands which were folded in her lap.

"You don't have to apologize, sweetie. It's not your fault," he tried to soothe her, but it seemed as if Karo had already made up her mind, taking all the blame for what was happening.

"Yes, it is. If it wasn't for me, all of this wouldn't have happened," she insisted, running a hand over her face, sighing heavily. "Maybe we should really stay away from each other more from now on."

"What? What are you even talking about?" he asked confused, trying to take her hand into his but she quickly snapped it away. "Karolina, cut the crap. I'm serious. This isn't your fault, it's Dean's."

"It is neither Dean's fault nor anybody else's," somebody suddenly said, startling both Karo and Seth.

They both turned their heads to see Shannon making her way over to them, a stern expression on her face. "Seth, sooner or later she would have found out anyways. Maybe it would have been better if you told her, and not Dean. But maybe it's a good thing it's out there now."

"How is this supposed to be a good thing? She's fucking mad at me right now," he grumbled, looking at Shannon expectantly when she sat down on the floor in front of them.

"If she loves you, then she will forgive you. It's not as if you need to feel guilty for anything though. These are things that happened in the past. Way before you even knew she existed," she explained, looking first at Seth and then Karo. "Either she accepts your friendship or she doesn't. Quite frankly, dump her if she doesn't."

"But…," Seth started but was cut off mid-sentence instantly.

"I would say bros before hoes but that doesn't really make sense in my case. But seriously, if she can't get along with your friends, friends that I know you consider family, then I'm not sure if she's the right woman for you," she continued, looking at Seth expectantly, knowing that she addressed a sensitive subject.

"I just want you all to get along. Is that too much to ask for?" he mumbled, running a shaky hand through his hair before finally grabbing one of Karo's, intertwining their fingers. "I wouldn't mind kicking Dean's ass though."

"Oh well, I already threw him into the pool. Maybe that makes you feel a little better for now," she stated, giggling when both her friends looked at her wide-eyed. "What? He needed a little cooling down anyways."

Seth nodded his head and gave her a weak smile, her words echoing through his head over and over again. Shannon was right though. Together with Karo, Roman, Dean and the babies, he considered her family. Without them he wouldn't be complete. And although he loved Maxine with every fibre of his body, he needed her to understand and accept this.

"I love you girls. I hope you both know that," he said, quickly turning his head towards Karo who was staring at the ground, a sad expression on her face. "You know you mean the world to me, right sweetheart? Don't ever forget that."

Despite feeling that she was trying to retreat, he pulled her close and kissed her cheek softly, once again whispering into her ear that it wasn't her fault. He hated seeing her like that. So heartbroken and insecure. He knew that it was in her nature but this time there was no need to feel the way she did. At least he hoped so.

It was up to Roman to find out why exactly Maxine reacted the way she had, knowing how important it was to Seth to have her in his life. It had somehow opened his own eyes when his younger friend confessed his love to Maxine in front of him just a few minutes ago. It was always the biggest step to admit to yourself that you are indeed in love with someone. And Seth had taken that step. And that wasn't only important to him but Roman as well.

Meanwhile Maxine was sitting in one of Roman and Karo's guestrooms, a room she was supposed to share with Seth but she wasn't too sure about that anymore, having the feeling that she needed to get away from him and his friends as fast as she could.

She was hurt that she had been lied to, even if he probably didn't do it on purpose. To her all of this seemed to be something that had affected them all as a group and she had hoped that Seth would always be honest with her. She was wrong though.

All her life she had been lied to. She had been cheated on, hurt, put off…you name it. For once she was sure she could trust someone but all her hopes and dreams have been destroyed the minute she heard of a past her boyfriend had seemingly shared with his best friend.

She didn't let Seth wait for so long for no reason. After having her heart broken by her former boyfriend, who had not only hurt her verbally but physically as well, she had promised herself to take her time and not fall in love anymore. Not that fast at least. Seth had been the first man after Matt that she was willing to give her heart to. Maybe she shouldn't have done it though.

She had accepted the job at the WWE to escape everything. She didn't want to stay back in Santa Monica and be reminded of her pathetic life each and every single day she would come back home to her apartment. No, she wanted to start a new life. A life away from her fears and concerns, a life on the road where she could be herself again. Finally. And now she was once again stuck somewhere because she fell for the wrong guy.

She always appeared to be a strong and self-confident young woman. A woman that knew what she wanted and that set a goal only to succeed in the end. Maybe it was some kind of façade. A façade she had perfected over the years. But she knew that once she was in a relationship with another man, it would eventually crumble.

She needed a strong man by her side. But right now it seemed as if Seth was anything but that.

"Maxine, it's Roman. Can I come in?" Roman asked after knocking on the door quietly, not sure if she wanted company or not.

It was an understatement to say that Maxine was startled. She had been so deep in thought that she completely forgot about the world around her.

It felt like an eternity until finally she opened the door, just a crack though, looking at Roman with tears in her eyes. "Are you alone?"

"Yes, it's just me. The others are downstairs. Please…let me in. I need to talk to you," he pleaded, his heart breaking in his chest when he saw just how hurt she seemed to be.

She slowly opened the door further, just enough so that Roman could enter the guest room, immediately making her way over to the bed where she collected several used tissues, throwing them into a trash can.

"May I sit down?" he asked politely, confused when she chuckled.

"It's your house, you don't have to ask me," she said mockingly, trying her hardest to choke down the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes once again.

She didn't know Roman all that well. This was about the second time she had met him and they'd never had any kind of serious conversation with each other. Could she even trust him? Should she even be in that room with him right now when she felt like she wanted to pack her things and take off as soon as possible?

"Maxine, I need you to listen to me right now," he started, his voice as deep and calm as always.

"I don't even know if I want to hear what you have to tell me. I don't even understand how you can come here and be that calm. I would freak out if I were you," she scoffed, keeping a safe distance to him, not sure if she could indeed trust him.

"Fine, okay. You know what? I'll listen to you for now. You tell me what Dean said and then you let me know how you feel or what's going through your mind," he offered, kicking off his shoes and sitting on the bed opposite of her.

"How do I know I can confide in you? I don't know you and you don't know me. You already have chosen sides and this is just not fair," she grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Who the hell is talking about taking sides? Look, this is not some kind of war, ok? I'm here to clarify things. That is if you want to know the truth. I'm sure that with Dean's generic statements, you made up your own story, believing that it's true when in reality you have no idea what really happened," he somehow admonished her, honestly feeling strange for defending something that had once broken his heart.

Maxine looked at him shyly, knowing that he probably was right but it felt so easy to accept a truth she came up with herself.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them. But Roman wouldn't be the one to start talking again. The ball was in her court now and she was the one that needed to decide if she wanted to talk or listen to what he had to say.

She didn't even have the guts to look into his eyes anymore. Although Roman seemed to be a very friendly and calm person, there was something about his appearance that intimated her.

"Dean told me that Seth and Karo almost had sex with each other when she was pregnant with your baby," she said quietly, breaking the silence between them after endless minutes. "He said something about a boy…and death."

Roman swallowed hard when he was reminded about his son who he wished was there with him right now, the feeling of missing him not getting better with each day that was passing by.

"Yeah…that's right. Unfortunately," he sighed, rubbing his eyes with one of his hands. "You wanna know the full story?"

Maxine stared at him for a few moments, the devastated expression on his face worrying her. Did she really want to know the truth? Was she ready to hear the story? A story that seemingly had changed all of their lives forever? But when she nodded her head yes, she knew that she needed to know what happened in order to know if she had a future with Seth at all.

"A few years ago, only after several months of being with Karo, she told me she was pregnant. It was quite surprising, as you can imagine. I just don't like to call it an accident though. Well, she had to stop wrestling immediately, and after a few more months, she had to stay home. Around the same time, Seth injured his knee and was out of action for half a year. I thought it was a good idea to have them spend time together here in our house, so that neither one of them was alone while I was on the road," he started to explain, nodding his head when she raised her finger.

"And that's when it happened?" she asked, more than just a little curious right now.

"Well, I still don't know today how long Seth had these feelings for Karo, and I'm not sure I really wanna know, but in these few months that they had been here alone, something developed between them," he said defeated, the pain he had been feeling back then resurfacing.

"Something called…love?" she asked surprised, not sure she liked where he was going with this.

"Love is such an alterable term, don't you think?" he asked, no one in particular though. "I don't want to come to Karo's defence, she's just as responsible for this as he is, but maybe her hormones were playing a trick on her. Seth has admitted that he tried everything in his power to sweet-talk her into bed. But not because he wanted to fuck her, if I can be that blunt about it, but because he fell in love with her."

Maxine just nodded her head, seeing how much this was hurting Roman and she couldn't really blame him. He had to go through this back then, whereas she only had to handle this today where – hopefully – all of this belonged into the past.

"It went that far that they ended up making out, heavily as far as I understand, and almost had sex…," he stated, licking his suddenly very dry lips nervously.

"On the kitchen counter…," she finished his sentence, swallowing hard when he confirmed. "But what happened then?" she asked curiously, the question of what happened to Karo's baby still in the back of her head.

"Dean told me about it, without really wanting it. Just like he did today. I immediately went back home and kicked Seth out. I did everything in my power to keep them apart. And I somehow succeeded. But Karo suffered so much after the whole drama that she went into early labor. I don't really want to go into detail right now but Joshua, our son, didn't make it. He died right after birth," he explained quietly, trying his hardest to suppress the tears that were building in his eyes.

"Oh my God, that's horrible," she gasped, covering her mouth with one of her hands in shock. "And you blame Seth for all of this?"

"I did. In the past. But one day I realized that this was nobody's fault. That this could have had a million different reasons. It took me ages to forgive him, and to forgive Karo. Honestly, I think I only forgave him fully a few months ago. When you came into the picture," he said truthfully, smiling when she pointed a finger to herself.

"Yes, it is because of you that I can handle their closeness to each other again. Seth doesn't love Karo anymore. Not in that way at least. You mean the world to him, Maxine. And you need to trust him. I know you can do it if I can," he encouraged her, he himself feeling convinced that things between Seth and Karo were really over.

"But how can you accept them…being so damn close again? Right now I can't imagine letting him spend alone-time with her after everything that has happened in the past," she said unsure, running a shaky hand through her auburn hair.

"It was difficult for me the first few times, but I trust my wife. I know she would never do anything like that again. Ever. And if you want to be with Seth, then you need to trust him as well. That's all it takes," he exemplified, a small smile on his face when she nodded her head in agreement.

"I guess I should talk to him right now, right?" she wondered, sighing heavily when he shrugged his shoulders.

"I hope he hasn't killed Dean yet. But I'm sure that both Shannon and Karo were able to hold him back. Those girls are strong," he chuckled, remembering how Karo almost wrestled Dean to the ground a short while ago.

"Uhm…speaking of…I guess I need to apologize to your wife as well," Maxine mumbled, feeling horrible for barking at Karo earlier that evening.

"I'll let her know you're sorry. You go and take care of my boy down there. He's afraid of losing you," Roman said, slowly getting off of the bed before slipping on his shoes again. "I'll send him up."

The Samoan was about to leave the room when she stopped him mid-movement. "Roman?"

He turned around to face her again, surprised to see that she made her way towards him, wrapping her arms around his midsection shyly. "Thank you. For everything."

"No need to thank me. I just want you and Seth to work out, that is all," he said, surprising her by kissing the top of her head, but that was just who Roman was.

After gently letting go of her, a smile on his face, he turned around and eventually exited the room, quickly making his way downstairs to see Seth who was surrounded by his two favourite girls, apart from his daughter of course.

"So? What did she say? Is she going to leave? Does she want to break up? Can I finally kick Dean's ass?" Seth asked, throwing dozens of questions at Roman who didn't know which one to answer first.

"Whoa, dude, relax," he chuckled, laughing even harder when his friend looked at him confused. "She's expecting you now. And she's not going to leave. I'll take care of Dean now though 'cause I…"

"No need to. He went for a swim," Shannon interrupted, together with Karo giggling when Roman looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

They didn't even realize that Seth already took off, almost flying up the stairs to be with his girlfriend as fast as he could, wanting to wrap his arms around her and show her how much she meant to him.

He carefully opened the door and their eyes immediately met, light green ones looking into chocolate brown ones, both of them getting lost into each other's stare. So much that for several long moments they both remained silent, enjoying the other person's presence.

"You should have told me that you were in love with her, Seth. Then all of this wouldn't have happened," she stated, breaking the silence between them and looking at him expectantly.

Without saying a word, he made his way over to where she was sitting in the middle of the bed, joining her by jumping onto it to take the seat next to her.

"I didn't think it would have made any difference today. I don't love her anymore. Not in a romantically way, at least. You're the only person I..." he started but trailed off when he realized what he was about to say.

"The only person you...?" she asked, her heart beating fast in her chest, not sure if he was really going to tell her now or not.

"Maxine," he hummed and hawed, taking her hand into his, intertwining their fingers. "I've been thinking about telling you for quite some time now. But I was afraid it would be too soon, now, after all that happened today, I have the feeling it's about damn time."

He finally was able to look into her eyes again, his breath shallow, his hands sweaty. She looked just as tense as he was, probably knowing what he was about to tell her and that was all he needed to decide to go for it.

"I love you, Maxine. With all my heart," he said quietly, his voice almost a whisper. "I want to be with you. I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. I know all of this might be surprising, it might even seem as if I was rushing things. But I really don't wanna scare you off and I don't expect you to say it back to me, but I…"

"I love you, too," she bubbled out all of a sudden, the smile that was spreading on Seth's face contagious. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"Shhh, don't. Let's forget about it," he insisted, letting go of her hand and cupping her face with both of his hands. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

She giggled when he started nibbling at her earlobe, all of a sudden feeling as if everything in the world was right and just how they wanted it to be.

They were in love. And not even Karolina could change that, not that she wanted to though. All they had to do was trust each other. Because without trust, no relationship had a future.

"I need to apologize to Karo though. Although Roman said I didn't have to," she announced, stopping Seth who was about to gently bite her neck.

"Hmm, you can do it later," he mumbled against her skin, wanting to take that next step with her right now. After all they had already confessed their love to each other.

"Seth, baby, not here, not now. I wanna be alone with you if we do it," she whispered into his ear, giggling when he sighed in frustration.

"Next week?" he asked hopefully, looking at her with his typical puppy eyes.

"Next week," she confirmed, pecking his lips sweetly.

Now hopefully things were moving into the right direction. For good.


	8. Move in the right direction

**Another chapter for you all this week :)**

**It seems I've finally found my love to write again…thank God lol**

**I hope you like this one.**

**Enjoy and review! :)**

**...**

Chapter 8: Move in the right direction

Hand in hand, Seth and Maxine made their way downstairs to face their friends again, both of them wanting to clear the air with them to avoid some awkward tension between them.

"Are you sure she won't be mad at me?" she asked him just seconds before they would get back out in the garden again, her heart pounding fast in her chest.

"She doesn't bear a grudge. She actually felt responsible and guilty for all of this, so I'm sure she'll be relieved to see that you're not pissed off with her," he replied, hoping he was able to calm her down and take her fears.

As soon as they were back with their friends, it was Dean who, out of surprise and maybe even fear, jumped up, raising his hands in defence and trying to run backwards when he clumsily fell over his own chair, falling flat on his ass.

"And you would think as a wrestler he would have body control," Seth chuckled, squeezing Maxine's hand and kissing her cheek while all the others burst out laughing.

"Dude, look, I'm sorry," Dean mumbled while trying to get up but he once again fell backwards. "FUCK!"

"Dean, take a chill pill. I'm not gonna hurt you. Although I think you deserve it," Seth said when finally everybody had calmed down again.

He looked around until his eyes found Karolina's, the look in hers still reflecting insecurity and sadness. It really hurt him to see that.

"Go talk to her, angel. She seems a little lost over there," he whispered into his girlfriend's ear, nodding his head towards Karo who immediately looked into another direction. "I'll take care of Dean."

After one final kiss on the lips, they both went their separate ways. Seth's led to Dean, Maxine's led to Karo.

"Do you have a few minutes for me? I think we need to talk," Maxine said as she stood in between Karo and Roman, a weak smile on her face.

"Uhm...look...if you want to call me names or insult me, you don't have to waste your time. I know I've..." she started but was immediately cut-off by the woman that was now the most important one in Seth's life.

"Please Karo, gimme a chance to apologize, ok?" she pleaded, looking at Karo sincerely who after a few long moments finally nodded her head.

In silence they both made their way into the house, leaving Shannon and Roman behind who were curiously watching how Seth made his way over to Dean who was still looking slightly alarmed.

"Hey, listen, I get it, ok? I've fucked up, once again. But my girl already sent me flying into that damn pool and I don't doubt she would spank me the minute we make it home tonight, so please...please don't kick my ass now, brother," he begged, his hands still up in defence.

Seth swallowed hard and sat down next to Dean after Shannon took the now empty seat next to Roman, both of them looking at each other with mischievous smirks on their faces.

"Dude, you really need to learn when to shut up. I don't know that if it wasn't for Roman, then Maxi would be gone by now," he started, running a hand over his face. "But maybe Shannon is right. One of us would have spilled the beans one day anyways. Maybe I should have been the one to tell her in the first place. So in the end, all of this was my fault."

Dean looked at his friend confused, a frown on his face. Was Seth apologizing to him now? He thought he was the one that needed to say sorry.

"I think I'm just mad that all of this still has such a huge effect on us all," he sighed, now turning his head so that he could face Roman. "Bro, you sometimes make my life a living hell. All I want is to be Karo's friend. There are no romantic feelings involved, no sexual desire. Not anymore. And I hope that now, after you literally saved my ass, you finally understand this."

Roman just nodded his head, a smile on his face. He knew he hadn't made things easy for Seth, and now that he thought about it, he felt horrible. Seth loved Maxine. And yes, he loved Karo. But not in THAT way anymore.

"Well, maybe you should knock up Maxine to make her fully believe that you're over Karo," Dean suggested, shrugging his shoulders innocently when everyone looked at him annoyed. "What?"

"Dude, I haven't even slept with her yet. I'm not sure it's such a good idea to get her pregnant already," Seth snapped, rolling his eyes in disbelief.

"Sorry, I just wanted to help," he sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair which was still slightly wet.

"Just stop trying to help people 'cause each and every time you do, all hell breaks loose and the drama begins," Roman said with a chuckle, making everybody laugh with him.

"Sometimes I wish he would shut his mouth in general," Shannon said suddenly, yelping when Dean threw an empty paper cup at her. "What? Your mouth is trouble, mister."

"You don't say that when I lick your pussy," he protested, frowning when everybody started yelling and chattering. "What? It's true. 'Oh yes Dean...oh...God...fuck...don't stop. Yes, just like that...'"

It was always exceptional when Shannon blushed, but after having Dean imitate her during sex, she most definitely did.

"Shut up now, you fucking dumbass," she grumbled, throwing the paper cup right back at him before swatting Roman's chest as he laughed his ass off at her expense. "And you shut your mouth as well or I'll tell the others what you were staring at in that lingerie store."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not believing she would tattle on him, especially after he had acted as if looking at those latex dresses was just coincidence.

"Ohhh, what did he look at? Come on, tell us," Dean pleaded, rubbing his hands excitedly. He loved getting new information which he could later use against others.

"I have no idea what she's talking about. But hey, Seth, you said something about not getting any. I'm sure you..." Roman started but wasn't even able to finish his sentence when his two-toned friend interrupted him.

"Don't get side-tracked, Reigns. We were talking about YOU," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows at his Samoan friend.

Roman looked at Shannon angrily, sighing heavily before turning his attention back to Dean and Seth who were sitting opposite of them. "God, I was looking at some latex and leather stuff. No big deal, ok? It's not like I have some fetish or something."

Both Dean and Seth burst out laughing, Dean even spurting some of his beer over the table as he had just taken a huge sip.

"Latex and leather? Man, I knew you liked it dirty. Niiiice. So, did you buy some stuff for Karo? Is she your little dominatrix now?" Dean asked mockingly, nudging Seth before pointing at Roman who was clearly feeling uncomfortable in this kind of conversation.

"Hey Seth, did you know Dean got a boner while wrestling Karolina recently?" Roman fired back, smirking devilishly when Dean gave him a death glare.

"You what?" Seth shrieked, chuckling when Dean sank back into his chair. "And now you tell me I have the hots for your wife."

"Hey, I'm still here you idiots," Shannon reminded them, flipping them the bird. "Now Seth, would you like to tell me why you haven't moaned my name while having this mysterious wet dream?"

Seth blew up his cheeks, holding his breath for a few short moments before answering. "Uhm, well, you weren't part of the dream, I'm afraid."

"WHAT? Why the fuck not?" she whined, playfully crossing her arms in front of her chest, looking at him expectantly.

"Uhm...because it was a threesome?" he more stated than asked, laughing when she stuck out her tongue at him.

"Whatever. One day you're gonna scream my name while fucking Maxine. Believe that," she said.

"AND BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD," Roman roared, jumping up the same second Dean and Seth did, all of them putting together the fists of justice.

"You guys are weird," Shannon mumbled, downing her bottle of beer while rolling her eyes.

**...**

In the meantime, Karo and Maxine had both taken a seat on the couch, a safe distance between them as they still felt like more or less strangers.

"So, uhm, I talked to Roman earlier and he actually told me everything about your...past with Seth," Maxine started, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I can't say it makes me happy but it quite frankly is none of my business."

Karo looked at Maxine dumbfounded, having expected for her to freak out on her or even pull her hair. Not that she was afraid. She was a wrestler after all, but she didn't really want to fight Seth's girlfriend.

"Uh...okay," she simply said, not sure what the woman opposite of her wanted her to say.

"Look, this new information is not that easy to process. I honestly have a hard time accepting the closeness you and Seth share, after all that has happened between you two. But I'm sure that if Roman can trust you, then I can as well. I saw how happy you are with him and your little girl, it's enviable. It's just that...I don't know. It might sound silly but it feels awkward not being the only woman in his life," she admitted, running a shaky hand through her waist long auburn hair.

"But you are, Maxine. You're the only woman in his life. I'm just his...buddy," Karo insisted, turning slightly so that they could now face each other properly.

"Karo, he was in love with you and...," she started but was immediately cut off.

"Yes, he WAS. As in past tense. He doesn't love me anymore. And it doesn't matter what happened back in the day. It's over. We're in the present now. I'm married to Roman, we have a beautiful daughter. Seth has you and he doesn't see me that way anymore. I'm so sick of the past haunting me over and over again. And so is he. We regret doing what we did back then. I wish I could turn back the time and undo it. But I can't. All I need is your trust. Please Maxine, give me a chance. And don't make him suffer for anything he did in the past. It's not fair," Karo pleaded, not even realizing that she was crying until a tear dropped from her face.

"Hey, shhh, don't cry. I didn't mean to make you sad," Maxine said quietly, moving closer to Karo, and with a little hesitance, wrapping an arm around the younger woman's shoulder.

"I just want us all to be happy, that is all. I want my son back, I want to feel complete again," she whispered, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand.

She had no idea why she was so open with Maxine but she felt as if she could trust the woman that was now also playing a huge part in her life. She knew it would take some time to make her an equal member of their clique, but was sure that one day she definitely would be.

"I'm so sorry about what happened to Joshua. It must have been horrible for you to lose him," Maxine replied, trying to soothe Karo by running a hand up and down her back.

"It's still horrible today. His room is still untouched, and I don't want to change it. He will forever be part of our family," she croaked, accepting a tissue that Maxine was handing her, blowing her nose.

"And so will Seth. I'm not trying to take him away from you all," she clarified, gently letting go of her before leaning back.

"I didn't think you would. Nobody has to take anyone away from anybody. We all belong together," Karo said, giggling when she realized just how cheesy that sounded.

"Are we cool again?" Maxi asked, opening her arms with a shy smile on her face.

"We're cool again," Karo replied, embracing the other woman, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

**...**

It was early the next morning when Seth and Maxine finally woke up, both of them wrapped up in each other's embrace, Seth as always spooning her from behind, his nose buried in her hair which always smelled like a mixture of raspberry and vanilla.

"Good morning, angel," he whispered into her ear, chuckling when she purred.

"Good morning, handsome," she said quietly, yawning heartily and stretching so that unfortunately Seth had to let go of her. "Sleep well?"

"Perfectly fine with you in my arms," he said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Call me hoggish but I'm fucking starving," she whined, holding her stomach which was making growling noises.

"And I haven't even worn you out just yet," he teased, shrieking when she hit him with a pillow.

"Don't tempt me, mister. We agreed to wait until we're alone," she scoffed, crawling over the bed to hover over him. "Didn't we?"

"Don't shove your gorgeous boobs into my face then," he warned, pinching her nipple through the thin fabric of her shirt, making it hard.

"Ouch, that hurt," she complained, rubbing the now hard peak to make the pain go away.

"Now come on. Don't tell me that really hurt. I'm not that gentle in the bedroom, angel. You'd better get used to that," he countered, slapping her ass hard before gently pushing her away so that he could stand up.

"I guess you might need a cold shower now," she said mockingly, pointing to the tent that was once again in his boxer briefs.

"You might as well take care of it. A blowjob wouldn't hurt, now would it?" he asked, grasping his hard cock through his boxers, winking at her.

"You're horrible, Rollins," she sighed, falling onto the bed with her back while rolling her eyes.

"In this specific case, you are the horrible one," he said, smirking when she huffed. "I'll take care of this real quick. Let's meet in the kitchen."

As soon as he left the room, she quickly got out of the bed, put on a bra and dressed in a halter neck top and a pair of jeans, immediately making her way downstairs where she hoped to find the other two couples and their babies, knowing that Dean and Shannon had also spent the night in the Reigns' house.

But what she found instead warmed her heart to the core: Roman, Karolina and Leni, all three of them on the little girl's baby blanket right in front of the TV where Bugs Bunny was currently running wild on the screen. Leni was lying on Roman's naked chest, her tiny little body covered in a pink romper suit, while Karo's left leg was draped over Roman's sweatpants covered ones, his arm wrapped around her tightly, all three of them seemingly asleep in each other's arms.

"Babe, whatcha waiting for? I thought you were...," Seth started but was quickly stopped by his girlfriend who put her finger over his lips.

"Shh, look at this. Isn't this just adorable?" she whispered, not wanting to wake the little family, a huge smile on her face.

"It is. The big man all wrapped up around his girls' little fingers," he chuckled, wrapping an arm around Maxine's waist, holding her close. "I'm so glad they finally are blessed with a baby. They deserve all the happiness in the world."

"Do you have your cell phone with you? I wanna take a picture," she said, smiling when he pulled it out of his sweatpants.

She quickly unlocked his iPhone, already knowing the code, before opening the camera app and snapping away.

"Do you think they would mind if you uploaded this to twitter?" she asked curiously, studying the picture intently, a content smile on her face.

"Are you trying to prove a point?" he said, smirking at her mischievously.

"Ugh, stop it. I didn't mean it like that. I thought it would be cute to show the world how happy they are," she said truthfully, handing him back his cell phone.

"I'm not too sure if Karo is okay with that pic going around the world. Half of her ass is exposed in those hot pants," he said, enlarging the picture slightly.

"She has a nice ass though," Maxine said nonchalantly, looking at him intently.

"Uhm, is this a test?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"No, you idiot. I was just observing. Now come on, let's make breakfast," she said, grabbing him by his shirt and dragging him into the kitchen where surprisingly Dean, Shannon and Dylan were already busy preparing everything.

"Good morning, guys," Seth said cheerfully, kissing Shannon's cheek while looking over her shoulder, checking what she was cooking, a content sigh escaping his lips when he saw that it was scrambled eggs.

"Good morning, you two lovebirds," Dean said while rocking his crying son back and forth, whispering to him to calm him down. "Watch and learn, Seth. You might need to know one day."

"Dean thinks I should knock you up," Seth explained to Maxine, rolling his eyes in annoyance before acting as if he was shooting himself in the head.

"Uh well, we haven't even...," she started, only to be interrupted by Dean.

"...had sex? We know," he said bluntly, smiling when Dylan finally stopped crying.

"Uhm...I wasn't trying to say that, but yeah...we haven't even had sex yet," she mumbled, blushing as she was extremely embarrassed talking about something like that.

"You need to get used to that, sweetheart. Everybody here loves talking about sex," Roman said out of nowhere, entering the kitchen with Leni pressed against his chest, a tired-looking Karolina following shortly afterwards.

"I just noticed," she chuckled, looking at Karo pitifully. "Long night?"

"I would rather say short night. She was up almost every hour," she yawned, sitting down at the already set table, gratefully taking a steaming mug of coffee Seth was now handing her.

"And my son almost slept through," Dean said proudly, patting his son's back softly, only to be rewarded by Dylan farting loudly.

"That's your son, Ambrose," Shannon said, making everybody laugh.

Maxine could get used to spending more time with them all. As Seth had said before, they were a crazy bunch of people, but she enjoyed being with them. She hoped that very soon she would be considered part of their family too.

**...**

Two days later, Seth and Maxine were finally back on the road, only being able to leave their friends with a heavy heart, having enjoyed sharing their few days off with them in Pensacola.

But now the daily routine was controlling their life again, which on one hand was a good thing as they now had more time to spend with each other without anyone else interfering.

It was about 9am in the morning when Maxine finally had the enthusiasm to get out of bed, being in Seth's arms always making her feel way too comfortable.

Although she was still booking her own hotel rooms, she couldn't help but end up in Seth's each and every night. She just couldn't leave his side anymore, wanting him close to her 24/7, if this was possible.

"Ugh...come back to bed, just another five minutes," he whined, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back so that she was lying next to him, immediately wrapping his arm around her tightly.

"Seth, I really need to get going. Stephanie is expecting me for a meeting in an hour and I need to look somehow presentable," she countered, trying to get up again but it was to no avail.

"You always look perfectly fine to me. Fuck what she says," he mumbled, nibbling at her earlobe, making her moan quietly.

He had found her weak spot during their very first make out session, knowing that if he kissed her neck, right below her ear, she would become putty in his hands. Maybe now wasn't the right time for anything like that, but as almost every morning for weeks now, he had woken up with a boner. And he felt as if he was about to explode.

"Seth..." she whispered, her resistance crumbling with each second passing by.

She enjoyed his touch. More than she actually should. At least right now. She needed to get ready and leave, but the way his lips kissed along her collarbone now made her completely lose her mind.

"Shhh...I know you want this as much as I do," he said in between kisses, continuing his path until he was hovering over her body. "Relax, angel."

He knew she was never wearing a bra when she was sleeping, her hardened nipples that were poking through the thin fabric of her top once again confirming this. God, he was hungry for them, hungry for her.

His lips now found hers, capturing them in a passionate and heated kiss, their tongues battling for dominance.

She was so distracted by Seth's mouth that at first she didn't realized that he pushed up her top, so far up that her breasts were now exposed to him, her nipples literally begging him for some affection.

He released her lips and bent down slightly, looking deep into her eyes when he snatched one of her nipples in between his teeth, his tongue swirling around it, over and over again, making her whimper.

His free hand was rubbing the other pebbled nub in between his thumb and index finger, the moans that were now escaping her loud and clear.

"Do you like that?" he panted, the expression of sheer pleasure on her face arousing him even more.

He couldn't help but press his pelvis against her clothed mound, letting her feel what she was doing to him, his erection now rubbing against her already slightly soaked panties.

He once again circled one of her nipples with his tongue, sucking it in between his teeth before letting it go with a wet pop. Her nails were digging into his biceps, her whole body covered in goosebumps.

"I want you," he whispered into her ear, biting her neck gently before licking the now slightly red mark. "Let me make love to you."

Maxine wasn't even able to form a coherent sentence, completely having lost the strength to push him away and tell him to let go of her. Work? What was that?

"I want you too," she panted, burying her hands into his hair, pulling him close only to press her lips onto his, kissing him feverishly.

The sexual tension between them had been increasing with each day they spent with each other, and maybe now it was about damn time they finally found a release.

His hand moved down, starting at her breasts, going over her stomach, only to end up in between her legs which were already parted as he was lying in between them. The moment he touched her clit through her panties, she almost yelped, her breath now shallow.

He couldn't wait any longer. He had to have her now.

But seemingly somebody else had other things for them in store. Things that didn't involve having sex – or as Seth had called it: making love.

"Don't pick up," Seth breathed when her cell phone was ringing, not wanting this to end just yet. His throbbing length was almost painful.

"Seth...I need to get going...it's probably work," she sighed, softly pushing him off of her so that she could finally get up, but it was already too late as her phone had stopped ringing.

"Are you serious now?" he asked annoyed, running a hand through his messy hair. "Maxi, I thought that finally..."

"I'm sorry, baby. Really. Please...don't be mad. I'll make it up to you tonight," she said while quickly changing into her clothes, getting ready in record time. He was impressed.

"You've been telling me that for days now," he mumbled, grabbing his crotch and arranging himself.

"I promise," she said while bending down to kiss his lips sweetly. "I love you, baby. See you later."

And with that she was out of his room, leaving him behind with a boner...once again. He was a mess.


	9. Relationship issues

**I'm soooo sorry for making you all wait, but I'm sooo busy at work. My colleague is off sick (I doubt she really is) and I'm working like crazy.**

**I'm afraid this means only one update this week which is this one. I'm sorry :(**

**But hey...I'm still totally thrilled and excited that Seth retweeted one of my tweets on Sunday. Yihaaa, he knows I fucking exist *fangirl mode* haha**

**I hope you enjoy & review! :)**

**...**

Chapter 9: Relationship issues

_*I'm so sorry baby, but I can't make it. I'm having such a busy day. Please don't be mad. I'm staying in my room tonight. Can you come by real quick? I still have your long-sleeved shirt here. I'm sure you need it tomorrow. Love you, Maxi xx*_

Needless to say Seth was beyond mad. He had been looking forward to seeing her again that night, excited to see if she kept her promise and finally gave in. And now? Now she dumped him – more or less.

He wanted to delete her message, switch off his phone and forget about her for the day. But unfortunately he really did need that shirt. He wished Dean and Roman were going to be around. He would definitely send one of them over to her room to get it for him.

_*Ok*_

That was all she would get. He wasn't in the mood to act as if everything was fine. He was sick of waiting, his body begging him for a release but all he could give his cock was a hand-job – all by himself, as always. It was frustrating.

He leaned back against the headboard of his bed, closing his eyes tightly, his cell phone still in his hand. He sometimes didn't understand her. He wished she was an open book, just like Karo. But Maxine was completely different. She kept things more or less to herself, not being as open-minded or brutally upfront like his friends were. It wasn't easy to read her. And that was devastating. He wished she would be more honest and open with him. He was her boyfriend after all. He couldn't shake off the feeling that she still had trouble trusting him.

He opened his eyes again and decided he needed to talk to someone who could maybe answer a few of his questions. He was at his wits' end with his girlfriend and needed some advice.

"Hey Sethie, how's it?" Karo said cheerfully, immediately picking up the phone after the second ring.

"Hey babe...well, things are a little chaotic, as always. That's life in the WWE. How are you and the family?" he asked, smirking to himself when she let out a content sigh.

"We're doing amazing. It's still such a great feeling to be a mommy. And Roman is completely in love with Leni. He's already whining about how much he's gonna miss her when he's back on the road," she giggled, looking over at Roman who was cuddling with their daughter on the couch.

"He can be such a pussy sometimes," Seth chuckled, taking a deep breath before getting to the point. "Do you have a few minutes for me, sweetie? I need to talk to you about something."

"Uhm...sure...gimme a minute," she said, covering the mouthpiece of her phone to make her way over to Roman, kissing his lips and telling him she would be back in a few minutes. "Alright, shoot."

She quickly made her way upstairs to her bedroom, sensing that Seth desperately needed someone to talk to. Someone that was her and nobody else. Otherwise he probably would have called Dean or Roman.

"It's about Maxine," he sighed, running a hand through his long two-toned hair. "She's driving me insane."

"Well, that's what women do, Sethie," she said with a chuckle, immediately stopping when he didn't join her laughter. "Okay, what happened?"

"It's probably something totally trivial...or even just a male problem, but how long can you women go without sex? Isn't it driving you crazy not getting it on after a while?" he asked honestly, a frown on his face.

"Uh...is this a serious question?" she asked, totally dumbfounded.

"Yes, it is, Karo. I've known her for months now, we've been dating for a little while. And each and every time we are about to get going, something or someone is interrupting us. This morning she promised me she would make it up to me tonight, but what happens? She texts me she won't be able to make it," he huffed, massaging the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "I'm so sick of getting myself off, you have no idea."

Karo remained silent for a few moments, the frustration he was feeling absolutely understandable. She was sure this wasn't just about a release, he would have gotten it if he wanted it so badly, but this was also about taking the next step in his relationship with Maxine.

"Every woman is different, you know? I can only speak of personal experience," she started, swallowing hard before continuing. "I love having sex. Whether it's fucking or making love, I can't go long without it, to be honest. I think it also depends if you're in a relationship or not. But after a week of not getting any, I'm becoming rather impatient. Do you know if she's...you know..."

"I don't know. I don't know anything when it comes to that. I have no idea if she even owns a fucking vibrator," he scoffed, leaning back so that he could get comfortable on the pillows.

"If I were in her position, I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully at night after having a heated making out session with you without having the need to get off," she admitted, giggling when he groaned. "But maybe she's different. Have you talked to her about any of this?"

"I've told her several times that I can't wait much longer. I know I promised her that I would, but it's been a while already," he continued to whine. "Maybe she doesn't even have that kind of longing for me."

"Oh come on, don't be ridiculous. You're a young, good-looking and sexy guy. Who wouldn't want to be fucked by you?" she more stated than asked, shaking her head in disbelief although he couldn't see it.

"You," he simply said, chuckling when she gasped. "Sorry, I had to."

"Well, I'm not counting though," she admonished, a small smile forming on her face. "Seth, you are desirable. This isn't about you."

"I really hope you're right," he once again sighed, running a hand over his face. "I guess I'll talk to her later. I need to pick up my shirt at her room anyways."

Karo turned around when she heard that the bedroom door has been opened, a smile on her face when Roman carried their little girl in his strong arms, a frown on his face.

"Babygirl, I don't wanna bother you but your daughter is hungry," Roman said, looking at her apologetically but Leni's cries were so loud that even Seth could hear them.

"Don't even think about apologizing," Seth quickly said when he felt that she was about to say something. "It's okay. Be a mommy now. I'll take care of my own business."

"Let me know what happens, ok? And keep your head up. I love you, Sethie. And so does she," Karo replied, hanging up after he returned the loving words his best friend had just directed at him.

She put her cell phone on her bedside table, taking her crying daughter away from her daddy before sitting down on the bed.

"What's wrong?" Roman asked curiously, sitting down next to her and helping her with her nursing bra.

"He and Maxine...they...you know, he's not getting any," she said, looking down at her daughter who was now contentedly drinking her mommy's breast milk.

"And that's why he's calling you?" he asked confused, a smile on his face when his daughter looked at him. "I swear she's giving me that _'haha look here daddy...I know you want some as well'_ look."

"You're an idiot," she said giggling, turning slightly so that she could face him properly. "He was wondering how long women can go without sex. He's desperate."

"And you think you're the best person to answer that question? You horny bitch," he teased, shrieking when she swatted his chest. "Hey, what? It's the truth though."

"It's not funny. He really likes her and wants to be with her...in THAT way," she explained, rolling her eyes when Roman held his chest in pain – playfully of course.

"I want to be with you in THAT way as well again," he said seductively, moving closer so that he could nibble on her earlobe.

"Stop it, Roman. Leni is watching you," she chastised, giggling when they both looked down at their daughter who was intently staring at her parents.

"She's too young for porn, you're right," he said before standing up again, placing a soft kiss on his wife's forehead before leaning down to do the same to his little girl. "I can wait until tonight."

And with that he left the room, a mischievous smirk on his face.

**...**

It was around 8pm when Seth finally made his way over to Maxine's room, cursed with a bad temper. He honestly didn't want to see her. Not after that lame message he had received earlier that day. But in the end he needed that damn shirt.

He knocked once, then twice, impatiently waiting for her to finally open the door. But when she eventually did, he was more than just a little surprised.

"Hey...there you are..." she said softly, looking at him with a shy smile on her face. "Come in."

She looked gorgeous, no, she looked unbelievably sexy. She was dressed only in a black silk robe, her feet bare, her hair loose, reaching her waist.

"I...I'm only here to pick up my shirt. I...uhm...have to leave again," he stuttered, shamelessly checking her out, looking her up and down.

"Just for a minute?" she pleaded, opening the door wider, the sounds of soft music playing in the background now invading his ears.

He only shrugged his shoulders, entering the room, closing the door and raising an eyebrow when he noticed what was in front of him. Rose petals all over the floor and bed, the room only dimly-lit, champagne on the cupboard next to the small couch.

"What is this all about, Maxi?" he asked almost breathlessly, looking around in awe and only stopping when his eyes met hers again.

"What does it look like?" she asked, making her way over to him until she was right in front of him, her arms almost automatically wrapping themselves around his neck. "I'm trying to seduce my boyfriend."

It had taken her a lot of effort to do all of this. She could only imagine how mad he must have been after reading her text message that afternoon. Not only that, but the fact that she planned all of this...the rose petals, the romantic atmosphere. She actually wasn't the kind of person to seduce others. She was rather shy when it came to something like this, especially if she hadn't been with her partner for the first time yet.

"You shouldn't," he whispered, placing his hands on her hips, pulling her close. "That's my job."

This must have been the first time in his whole life that a woman had ever done anything like that for him. It had always been him who had made things special for his girlfriends. Although it felt amazing to be on the receiving end this time, he also felt guilty for not surprising her with something like this.

"Hush baby...it doesn't matter. It only matters that you're here with me now," she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. "I know this normally isn't our kind of music, but I wasn't in the mood for Parkway Drive while having sex with you for the first time."

Seth couldn't help but chuckle, knowing that she was a girly girl after all. They wanted it romantic and even cheesy sometimes. And he would give her anything she wanted and needed.

He bent down slightly to place his lips onto hers, kissing her softly. He tentatively tasted her with his tongue, and Maxine opened her mouth with a low moan. The moment their tongues touched for the first time felt like fireworks firing up in their bodies.

Her hands immediately slid under his shirt, feeling up his abs and lightly scratching them with her nails which made him moan quietly.

She moved her hands back down after a few moments, taking his shirt by the hem and pulling it up slightly, silently asking him to get out of it. He grinned and did as requested, showing off his muscular chest and making Maxine want to touch each and every inch of it. She swallowed hard, moved even closer to him and used her fingertips to trace his clearly visible abs once again.

Seth freed her neck from her long auburn-coloured hair by pushing it aside, touching her soft spot with his lips. She breathed in sharply as soon as he did and closed her eyes in pleasure.

She opened them again a brief moment later and slowly moved her hands down, stopping at the belt of his skinny jeans. It took her a few moments to unbuckle it as Seth was driving her insane with his tongue that was slowly licking its way up to her ear. Hearing him breathing heavily so close to her it was turning her on all the more.

After finally being able to unzip his jeans, she roughly pulled at them to make him understand that she wanted him to take them off. He took her hands and placed them on his hips, helping her push his jeans down a little only to let her carry on herself, throwing them to the floor impatiently and then resting her hands on his behind. Even through the thin fabric of his boxers, she could feel how well-toned and firm it was. She didn't lie when she said loved his ass.

She was becoming even more nervous now by seeing his hard erection through his boxers, making her shiver. She wanted that man so badly and she knew he wanted her just as much.

"Don't you think you're wearing a little bit too much?" he asked hoarsely, grabbing her robe and trying to untie it, but she wouldn't let him.

"Do you think you're ready for this?" she panted, taking both ends of the silky belt into her hands, opening it very slowly.

"I've never been more ready before," he said, licking his suddenly very dry lips.

He took a step back, giving her enough space to open the robe. Her eyes were never leaving his, and if he didn't know it any better, he would say that she was beyond nervous.

He held his breath the moment she let the robe fall to the ground, his hard erection throbbing in his boxer briefs even more now. There she was, naked, in all her glory. And she looked so damn beautiful.

"Baby...you...you are...wow," he stuttered, eyeballing her over and over again. She was definitely the sexiest woman he had ever laid eyes on, that was for sure.

Needless to say that his compliment made her blush. It wasn't easy exposing herself to him like that, but knowing that he approved warmed her heart.

She watched him as he made his way back to her, but he didn't stop in front of her, no, he circled her, like she was his prey.

He stopped when he was standing behind her, closing the distance between them and pressing his body against hers.

His hands immediately found her breasts, cupping and softly kneading them, the palms of his hands tracing her nipples once in a while, making them hard.

Seth knew exactly what she wanted when she moved her hands behind herself, hastily pulling at his boxers which he then took off quickly, pressing himself against her again soon afterwards. His left hand cupped her breast once again while the other one slowly moved down over her stomach to end up in between her legs. He gently rubbed her clitoris with his finger, immediately making her tense up so that she had to stop breathing for a split second. After waiting for so long, this simple movement made her all shaky. She was so sensitive to his touch.

He kept rubbing her clit for a few more moments, but what he really wanted to see was if she was ready for him already. His finger slowly moved further down until finally he felt the wetness in between her legs. She was dripping wet for him, making him even harder.

He slowly and gently pushed one finger inside of her, another one following soon after. He swallowed hard when she moved her hips against the movement of his fingers and was surprised that she put her hand on top of his, both of them kneading her breast which fit perfectly into his left hand.

While pleasuring her with his fingers, he started rubbing her clit with his thumb furiously, but stopped after a few more minutes when she started shaking slightly. He didn't want her to cum yet. He wasn't done with her. Not at all.

They gently let go of each other and Maxine turned around to look into his eyes. Her gaze was shrouded and full of lust, a silent sign to let him know how much she longed for him.

She gently wrapped her hand around Seth's shaft and very slowly started stroking him, pressing her lips onto his and engulfing him in a heated kiss. His erection was throbbing and he was sure that he couldn't wait much longer if she kept doing this. She increased the pace and intensity, making him moan out loud and therefore breaking the kiss.

She let go of him and carefully got down on her knees where she took him into her hand again, keeping the eye-contact when she put her lips around his shaft, inch by inch taking him into her mouth.

He was about to close his eyes in pleasure but tried hard not to. He wanted to watch her sucking him off with her light green eyes staring into his. He gently placed his hand on the top of her head and moved his hips while chewing on his bottom lip. The way her tongue circled his hard cock made him forget how to speak English for a moment. With her hand, she supported her movements and was pleased to see that he seemed to enjoy himself.

"Angel, you need to stop or I'm gonna cum," he said after just a short while, completely out of breath, his lips parted slightly.

She teasingly licked the tip of his cock once again before standing up and pressing her chest against his with an innocent look on her face, smiling at him mischievously.

He all of a sudden picked her up and made his way over to the queen size bed, gently laying her down so that she was on her back, her yelp making him chuckle.

He pecked her lips quickly and started moving down while tracing her body with his tongue. He started at her sensitive neck, down to her breasts, kneading them and sucking and nibbling her nipples before circling her bellybutton and eventually spreading her legs so that he could lie in between them. Her legs were to the left and right next to his head while his tongue slowly disappeared in between them.

Maxine was impatiently awaiting his touch, but he kept teasing her a little by kissing her inner thighs, breathing heavily. She literally pleaded him with her eyes to finally start and soon even he wasn't able to resist anymore.

He started at her wet opening, very slowly licking his way up, spreading her lips with his fingers and sucking on her clit gently. She couldn't help but scream out loud and roll her eyes into the back of her head. Seth let go off her clit with a wet pop and licked it at a very slow pace at the beginning. The tip of his tongue touched the little bundle of nerves which made her arch her back in pleasure. He sped up slowly afterwards, at the same time entering her wet opening with two of his fingers. Maxine was about to faint. She didn't know how much longer she could take it. He took turns between licking her clit and sucking on it, all the while fucking her with his fingers.

"Seth, please...," she started, but trailed off. He immediately stopped, not giving in just yet. They both were so close, but he didn't want it to end like that. He wanted to be inside of her. Feel her. For the very first time.

He moved cautiously so that he was eye-level with her again, still lying in between her legs, his chest pressed against hers. He licked his lips which were now wet with her juices, making her swallow hard.

"I finally want to feel you, Seth," she said hoarsely, pushing her hips towards him. "Please don't make me wait anymore. I'm about to explode."

"What about condoms?" he panted, pecking her lips over and over again.

"I'm on the pill," she mumbled in between kisses, trusting that he was clean.

Maybe it was stupid of him to go for it, doing this without protection, but she wasn't just some slut he picked up after a show. She was his girlfriend, the love of his life.

He took a deep breath and positioned himself close to her slick folds, gently and very slowly sliding inside of her wet opening, a moan escaping his lips. He stayed still for a few moments when he was fully embedded in her, cherishing the feeling to the fullest.

Maxine closed her eyes in pleasure. He felt even better than she could have ever imagined. She was in paradise.

He started moving slowly, letting her get used to his size. Being inside of her was heavenly. He had never felt any better than in this very moment.

She put her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her, kissing him feverishly. She wanted him as close as possible, the feelings deep inside of her overwhelming her completely. She loved this man so much.

He met the movements of her hips with his thrusts which were still agonizingly slow. He wanted to make love to her and he would do just that. He knew she needed to feel his hot skin on hers; she wanted to feel the connection between them. This was intense and very meaningful to both of them.

After endless minutes of moving in a steady rhythm, their bodies were covered in sweat. He was surprised that he was still able to hold back, but he enjoyed this way too much to end it just yet. All this time they never broke the eye-contact, they kept staring into each other's eyes, not saying a word. No words had to be spoken anyways. They let their actions speak this time.

He suddenly felt her tense up underneath him, the grip of her hands which were now grabbing his biceps tightening more and more. She was close. He could feel and see it. He dug his nails into the skin of her hips, pushing her down firmly while thrusting up into her slick folds repeatedly.

"Are you cumming for me, babe?" he asked through gritted teeth, his voice almost a whisper.

She had her eyes closed now, not able to form a coherent sentence. She was overwhelmed by all those feelings and sensations she was experiencing. She just nodded her head before opening her eyes once again, meeting his immediately. She licked her bottom lip, knowing that this would probably drive him crazy.

And it certainly did. Knowing that she was about to cum and looking at her licking and biting her lips made him lose his mind. He once again sped up a little bit. He knew she needed this release just as much as he did. He wanted them to cum together. He wanted to reach that peak with her as a unit. He could feel her walls tightening around his cock, her moans loader than they had ever been before. He pulled her close to his body, wanting to feel her soft skin pressed against his.

Both of her hands were buried in his hair now, his head resting on her shoulder, placing kisses all over it.

"Seth...," she groaned, her whole body starting to shiver. "Oh God...I'm cumming, baby."

Hearing her scream his name and clinging to his body was all he needed to reach his own climax as well. His whole body started shaking and he moaned out loud, emptying himself deep inside of her, his seed mixing with her juices. He could feel how she was still milking him, extending his orgasm for a few more moments.

As soon as they came down from their highs, they collapsed into each other's arms. They were trying to catch their breaths, not wanting to let go of one another.

Maxine caressed the back of his head while trying to calm down after the orgasm she had just experienced. An orgasm so intense and explosive, probably the best she'd ever had. And why? Because it was the man she loved with her all her heart that made her reach that peak.

He propped himself up, looking deep into her eyes again before smiling and placing a sweet kiss on her lips.

Gently sliding out of her, he laid down next to her with her immediately moving closer to him so that she could rest her head on his chest.

There was a comfortable silence between them, the soft music still playing in the background quietly, making the atmosphere even more romantic.

"We completely forgot about the champagne," she whispered, giggling like a little school girl, kissing his chest softly.

"I don't care. You were tastier than anything else anyways," he replied, making her blush with his suggestive statement.

She moved slightly so that she could look up at him, her chin resting on both of her hands which were folded across his broad chest. "That was wonderful, Seth. Thank you."

He looked at her dumbfounded, slightly shaking his head with a small smile on his face. "I have to thank you. Nobody has ever done anything like this for me."

He leaned down a little so that he could capture her lips, kissing her lovingly, putting all of his feelings into it.

"I love you, angel. With all I have," he whispered, placing a sweet kiss on her forehead.

"And I love you...my little ninja," she teased, giggling when he raised an eyebrow at her.

Was this finally his happily ever after...?


	10. Girls' and boys' night in

**It's been almost a week since I last uploaded and I would like to apologize for the long wait. Real life issues are constantly in the way and I don't even find the time to write in peace. Work, work, work!**

**I hope you all understand, and I can't promise to update again this week. Bear with me!**

**ShannonTheAwesomeOne, thanks for some of your amazing lines and ideas which I partly used for this chapter. Same goes to rrsexybeast and mrsrkoshield as well as pezziecoyote. Thanks for your constant support.**

**Now enjoy & review, my beautiful readers! :)**

**...**

Chapter 10: Girls' and boys' night in

A few weeks had passed and both Seth and Maxine couldn't be any happier. After taking that next step of sleeping with each other, their relationship had intensified and their love had become even stronger. Needless to say that he couldn't get enough of her ever since, making love to her each and every night, sometimes even twice a day.

"And you're sure you'll be fine with the girls?" Seth asked concerned, a frown on his face.

"Of course, baby. You enjoy your night with the boys and I'll see you again tomorrow. It's not like we're far apart. Dean's house is only two minutes away. Would you please stop worrying now?" she more stated than asked, slightly annoyed by his constant protective behaviour.

"I'm just acting all worried 'cause I'm not getting any tonight," he admitted with a pout, chuckling when she swatted his chest playfully, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sure that you'll survive one night without sex," she said, moving closer to him and nibbling on his earlobe, a moan escaping his lips. "Okay, bye."

She all of a sudden let go of him, bursting out laughing when he stared after her, not believing that she left him there high and dry.

"You little wench," he yelled, taking a deep breath before finally following Roman and Dean who were already waiting for him in front of the Reigns' house.

"You've become such a pussy," Dean mumbled, taking the bag with Leni's stuff while Roman was carrying her in her infant carrier.

"You were the same when you started dating Shannon, so shut up," Roman replied, face palming his friend before starting to walk away from the other two.

"Ah, you know what Reigns? You're the biggest pussy of 'em all," Dean scoffed, quickly following Roman with Seth in tow, both of them catching up immediately.

"So, who decided we take Leni with us and not Dylan?" Seth asked nonchalantly, looking at Dean confused when he huffed.

"Because she's the little princess and gets everything she wants," he stated, earning a slap from Roman to the back of his head.

A few weeks ago, their women had decided to spend a girls' night in, inviting Maxine over so that she would feel even more comfortable in their little clique, wanting her to know that she was now part of the family too. The boys had then decided to do the very same, all three of them catching up and talking about good old times. Leni somehow ended up with the men while Dylan was with the ladies he loved so much.

"Will you ever stop being jealous of a baby?" Roman asked annoyed, waiting for Dean to open the door when they stopped on his front porch.

"I'm not jealous," he shrieked, flipping his Samoan friend the bird. "I just know that she has you wrapped around her little finger and she knows how to get your attention. She's difficult."

"She's difficult? Are you fucking kidding me? It's Dylan who is..." Roman snarled, being cut off in the middle of the sentence by his two-toned friend.

"Okay guys, relax...it's all good. Let's just get inside, grab a few bottles of beer and watch the game," Seth admonished, pushing them into the house before closing the door behind them.

Sometimes he thought that he could have a more mature conversation with Leni than with these two fools, but they were his best friends and he loved them to death. A lot of things had changed ever since the kids were born, not only for Roman and Karolina as well as Shannon and Dean, but for Seth as well. Meeting his friends wasn't a spontaneous thing to do anymore. They couldn't just go out and party, getting shitfaced and come home in the early hours of the morning.

They were parents now, responsible for a little human being they brought into this world. And together with his friends, Seth had grown up as well. But most of this he had to thank Maxine for. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

A couple of hours and several shots and beers later, Leni started grouching for the first time that evening, giving her daddy a sign that she was hungry when she started sucking her tiny little hand, making smacking noises with her lips.

"Is Daddy's princess hungry? Is it time for dinner now, sweetie?" he asked in a baby voice, picking her up from the baby blanket she had been laying on, before bending down to get one of the already pumped breast milk bottles out of the bag.

"So, that came straight out of Karo's tit?" Dean asked before quickly swiping one of them out of the still open bag before Roman could get it back from him.

"Dean..." Roman simply said, raising an eyebrow at his younger friend, silently begging him to shut up.

"I wonder how she tastes..." he mumbled, looking at the bottle intently before sensing that his friends were looking at him dumbfounded. "What? It's not gross! It's weird, but it doesn't taste bad! I've tried it! Well, not really on purpose but... I can't help it if I love on my woman so good that she leaks a little bit."

And Dean wouldn't be Dean if he wasn't really wondering how Karo tasted because only god knew how many times he had tried to love on Shannon's breasts and got some milk instead.

"You're a freak," Seth said, taking the bottle away from Dean and putting it back into the bag. "Dude...seriously."

"What? I bet Roman knows what I'm talking about. Right, big man?" Dean asked, looking at him expectantly when he sat down again, trying to get Leni to open her mouth.

"Uhm..." he mumbled, not looking at his two friends who he felt were staring at him intently.

"Uhm means yes. You can't tell me you didn't suck her nipples and didn't get some milk," Dean said, taking a huge sip of his cold beer. "That's okay, dude. It happens."

Roman sighed heavily, happy that Leni finally parted her lips and started drinking the milk.

"It was so awkward the first time I did. I didn't really think about it and boom, here comes the milk," he explained, making both Seth and Dean chuckle. "I can't say it's that yummy though. It's... weird."

"And so he moved down to lick the pussy," Dean said as a matter of fact, finishing his beer before opening another bottle shortly afterwards. "Eating pussy is still the best."

"Preach," Seth said, raising his fist to bump it with his friends, taking the beer Dean was offering him.

"Speaking of...you've never told us about Maxine," Roman spoke up, surprised that he really questioned his friend about his sex life.

Normally he wasn't the one to start this kind of conversation but after being best friends with them for so many years, he had learned that nothing was off limits between them.

"She's amazing, dude. Never has a woman given me anything like she does. She's thoughtful and..." he started but Dean just rolled his eyes and quickly interrupted him.

"Listen, we wanna know if she's any good in bed. I don't care about her characteristics," he huffed, emphasizing the word 'characteristics' mockingly before taking another sip of the cold beverage.

"Dean, characteristics make things in the bedroom even more interesting, you fool," Roman scolded, putting the now empty milk bottle onto the living room table, picking Leni up so she could rest on his shoulder, waiting for her to burp.

"You two really have become wussies," Dean scoffed, laughing when Leni let out a loud burp. "She has your genes, man."

"Well, to say it in Ambrose's words: she has amazing hips. Hips I can hold onto when I'm taking her from behind. And boy, she has a nice ass. But the best thing about her is her pretty little mouth. I swear to God, this woman knows how to suck a dick," he swooned, rearranging himself before he would get a boner just thinking about that.

"Did you make her swallow?" Dean asked bluntly, grinning when Roman rolled his eyes at him.

"Dude, what the fuck? Why are you so fascinated with the girls swallowing our cum?" Roman asked appalled, hoping that his little daughter really wouldn't understand what they were talking about.

"Because it's hot," he simply said, shrugging his shoulders innocently and watching how Roman placed Leni into Seth's arms, this being the first time this evening that someone else apart from Roman was holding her.

"I know it is, but would you keep concentrating on your girl taking your cum and forget about our girls?" he asked a little upset.

The room fell silent a few moments later, Roman and Dean lost in the football match that was shown on the TV while Seth was cuddling with Leni, her tiny little hand wrapped around his index finger.

"You're the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen," he whispered to her, brushing his lips over her forehead, his heart melting when she opened her big blue eyes, staring into his. "I see you understand what I'm saying, right princess?"

Slowly a small smile spread across her face, making his legs feel like jelly. She definitely had Roman's smile. It was adorable.

He picked her up and held her in the air so that she was face to face with him, placing butterfly kisses all over her face which made her grunt, a possible sign of her laughing.

Her hands touched his face, at first grabbing his nose and squeezing it, before moving to his jaw, feeling up his beard which made her shiver.

"I'm not sure if your daughter likes hairy faces or not but she keeps shivering and grunting when she touches my beard," Seth said with a chuckle, directing his statement at Roman.

"I think she loves it. I keep rubbing mine against her tummy when I change her diaper and she always starts making funny noises," Roman said, glancing at Leni and Seth, a small smile on his face.

Roman still remembered how jealous he was of Seth after the first time he met Leni. But Karolina made him understand that he was just her Uncle Sethie and could never replace him as her daddy. He needed to let go sometimes, although that was still hard for him to do.

"You would make a great dad, Seth," Roman added truthfully, taking another gulp of his beer until the bottle was empty.

"Don't give him ideas, man," Dean immediately said, looking over to see the strong bond Seth seemed to have with Leni. "I swear to God, he's just as much into her as he was into Karo."

"That's not the right term to use in this case," Roman quickly disagreed, shaking his head slightly. "He simple has the same closeness to her as he has to Karo. It must be in the Schneider's genes. They just clicked."

"Well, whatever...just do me one favour, Seth. Keep banging your chick and enjoy your life before your kids cock-block you," Dean huffed, finishing his beer as well. "How about you get some more beer, Reigns? You know where the kitchen is."

"Lazy bastard," Roman said after getting up, collecting the empty bottles before leaving the living room to make his way into the kitchen.

"Dude, can you hold her real quick? I need to take a piss," Seth said as a matter of fact, standing up and waiting for Dean to open his arms.

"Are you crazy, dude? Our little princess here doesn't like me," he said appalled, involuntarily opening his arms for Seth to put her into them.

"I'll be back in two minutes...jeez," Seth mumbled, quickly hopping out of the room before his bladder would explode, a sight nobody would like to see.

Dean watched Leni intently, holding his breath and cringing when she started grimacing, probably realizing that she wasn't with her daddy or Seth anymore.

"Ugh, please don't cry, honey-pie," he pleaded desperately, trying to think of something to do to make her stop quickly. "Ha, I've got an idea."

He cleared his throat and straightened up, trying his best not to let her cries distract him.

"Where it began, I can't begin to knowin'. But then I know it's growing strong. Was in the spring, and spring became the summer. Who'd have believed you'd come along. Hands, touchin' hands. Reachin' out, touchin' meee, touchin' youuuu. Sweet Caroline, ohohoooo, good times never seemed so good. I've been inclined, to believe they never would. But now I... ...look at the night, and it don't seem so lonely. We fill it up with only two, " he sang, putting all his passion into the song, but she started crying even harder.

He held her close to his chest, hoping that his steady heartbeat would calm her down but this was also to no avail.

"Okay, here we go," he mumbled, bending over to get to the left-over pizza from an hour ago, snatching off a piece of peperoni and holding it against her lips. "Open up, sweetie. Maybe you're hungry."

Naturally Leni parted her lips, her tear-stained face all puffy, but the crying immediately stopped when she started licking the food.

"Dean, what the fuck are you doing?" Roman yelled as soon as he entered the living room, quickly putting the six-pack of beers onto the table, grabbing his daughter away from Dean.

"Relax, man. She wouldn't stop crying, so I tried to feed her," he said almost apologetically.

Roman closed his eyes tightly for a brief moment, sighing heavily before trying to clean Leni's lips and tongue from the peperoni and tomato sauce. He knew that Dean always wanted to do everything right, trying his best to be a good dad and uncle, but there were times where he was still very inexperienced and even clumsy.

"I'm sorry, bro," he said again, massaging his temples tiredly. "I didn't want to harm her in any way and you know I really love that little girl but I just can't seem to bond with her somehow."

"It's okay. Don't worry, man. Maybe she needs a little more time with you. Just wait until she's older. She's gonna love you. You're a good guy," he comforted him, realizing that Dean was sincerely sorry for not being as close to his daughter as Seth was.

"He's a good guy?" Seth asked jokingly after entering the living room again.

"Kiss my ass, motherfucker," Dean quickly replied, making everybody laugh.

"That's how we know you," Roman said, extending his arm and putting his hand into a fist, smiling when his two friends joined him, showing off the symbol of excellence.

**...**

At the same time, little Dylan, all dressed in his Dean Ambrose miniature leather jacket, was in Maxine's arms, desperately trying to suck on her nipple but it was to no avail as the thin fabric of her shirt and bra was making his life a living hell – as far as he was concerned.

"He's not even hungry! He just loves boobs... Do you know how many times I try to feed him but he just ends up groping me for the hell of it? I looked online and other moms say that it's supposed to mean that the baby feels extra safe and is showing you love and crap like that but I just really think he's a boob guy," Shannon explained, making both Karo and Maxine laugh heartily.

"Well, if he's just a little bit like Dean, then yes, he's a boob guy," Karo confirmed, helping Maxine to free her clothed breast from Dylan's grip, making the little boy whine.

"I just wonder why he can't get enough of mine. Karo's look a lot more promising," Maxine said, looking at her new friend's chest, raising her eyebrows in admiration. "I have to admit, they look amazing."

"Don't we all love Karo's boobs?" Shannon more stated than asked, taking Dylan away from the girls to rock him back and forth so that he would stop whining.

"Uhm...do we?" Maxine asked dumbfounded, scratching the back of her head.

"Yep, we all do. Roman, Dean, Seth, Dylan, obviously Leni...me and now you. It's not a secret," she replied bluntly, whispering calming words into her son's ear.

"Seth does too?" she asked unsure, all of a sudden feeling extremely insecure about her own appearance and the closeness Seth shared with Karo – once again. It had happened before. Many times.

"Shan, just shut up, ok?" Karo said annoyed, turning her attention back to Maxine. "It's not like that. It's just a weird thing between all of us. You really don't have to worry. As far as I know he's pretty much in love with your boobies."

"Ohhh, you've got insider information?" Shannon wondered aloud, sitting down opposite of the two girls, perking up her ears. "Spill the beans, baaabay."

"I'm not sure if Maxine wants t...," Karo started but couldn't even finish her sentence when Maxine interrupted her instantly.

"SPIT IT OUT," she urged the blonde woman, moving even closer to her, looking at her expectantly.

Karolina couldn't help but let out a chuckle, the look on her friends' faces too funny.

"Well, apparently he's addicted to you...and your pretty little mouth," she began, giggling when Maxine raised her finger as if she wanted to ask for permission to get out a question.

"My pretty little mouth?" she asked confused, frowning slightly.

"Yes, that's exactly how he said it. He claims you give the best blowjobs in this universe," she giggled, making Maxine blush slightly.

"Can't be true because I do give the best," Shannon insisted, yelping when Dylan once again started groping her breasts.

"Nope. It's well-known that I give the best ones. Get in line, ladies," Karo said cockily, raising her chin before bursting out laughing.

"It is indeed well-known. Or so I was told," Shannon teased, winking at her best friend who gave her a sign to shut up.

"Now is it? How come?" Maxine asked curiously.

"It's not that imp..." Karo started but was immediately interrupted.

"Actually Dean told me about that sex tape with Drew and he was impressed by her sucking technique only by watching," Shannon babbled, not thinking about her friend not wanting everybody to know about THAT tape.

"A sex tape?" the auburn-haired girl asked in shock, covering her mouth with one hand after gasping. "You did a sex tape? Who with?"

"I didn't do it voluntarily," Karo sighed, running a shaky hand through her long blonde hair. "I had a one night stand with one of the wrestlers. And he seemed to have it filmed. The whole roster watched it."

"God, what about Roman? Did he break up with you?" she asked dumbfounded, not believing what she had been told just now.

"It was before she started dating him. He actually picked up the pieces and made her whole again," Shannon said, laughing about her own cheesiness. "Aww, wasn't that just cute?"

"It's heart-breaking if a guy treats you like you're not worth anything though," Maxine mumbled, the quiet words that escaped her lips making the other two curious.

"What do you mean?" Shannon asked concerned, handing Dylan over to Karo who immediately rearranged her shirt so that the little boy could not push it down to grab her boobs.

"What? Uh...well...never mind. It's not that important," she tried to convince them, but the sadness in her voice gave away that it indeed bothered her until this very day.

"Listen sweetie, you can trust us with whatever is on your mind. If you need to get something off of your chest, we're always here for you," Karo told her, wanting her to feel like she was an equal part of their group.

Maxine took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly for a few moments, not sure if she was really ready to open up to them just yet. But why shouldn't she? These girls told her everything, not keeping many secrets and sharing everything with her.

"I really have this trust issue ever since breaking up with my ex-boyfriend. That's why I was so cautious with you when I first heard about your past with Seth," she started to explain, looking at Karo quickly. "I wanted to get married to that guy. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. We even talked about having kids. I'd been with him for several years and I was so happy. Life couldn't get any better than this. But one day I found out about him going to these...clubs."

Shannon and Karo looked at each other confused, not knowing where she was going with this but they decided to remain silent so that she could carry on.

"As you can imagine these weren't clubs where you get shitfaced and dance the night away," she said, sighing heavily and swallowing hard. "Swingers clubs...that's where he went."

There weren't any more tears left to shed for the man that had broken her heart. All she felt now, sitting there and telling her new friends about this, was humiliation and embarrassment.

"I know that probably everyone going into such clubs would tell you that what they were doing is not cheating but I wasn't involved in any of this, so you probably understand how I must have felt. The worst thing, apart from him having sex with several women he didn't know, was the fact that he also slept with men," she explained, running a hand over her face. "It's not that I'm against gay people, not at all. It just hurt so much when he told me that these guys could give him more than I ever could. He said I was a boring, prudish little girl. He was sick of me and I don't get why. I did everything for him. I pretended to be someone I wasn't, I neglected and lost my friends and my family. He used me to his advantage, over and over again. Needless to say it was my money he spent for all this porn he bought. And then I ended up all by myself, mentally broken," she finished, taking one of the pillows that were on the couch, trying to hide her face behind it.

Both Shannon and Karo needed time to let this sink in, an uncomfortable silence in the air. They would have expected anything but this. Clearly they were relieved that she hadn't been raped or physically abused but they also knew that mental abuse could hurt just as much, if not even more.

"I know, it's ridiculous. Sorry for disturbing you with this...," she said after a few more moments, getting up and slowly making her way over to the stairs, wanting to get into the guestroom as soon as possible.

"Where do you think you're going, missy?" Shannon asked, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down, making her sit next to her on the couch.

"I...I need to go to...bed," she stuttered, not being able to look into their eyes, ashamed of what she had just told them.

"You see, you have to share a bed with us today," Karo said, looking at Shannon and nodding her head. "Right, sister? Girls' night in means sharing a bed."

"And don't worry. Hers and Roman's bed is big enough. And she promised me she put new sheets on," Shannon said, making Maxine smile weakly. "So no sperm strains."

A few moments of silence passed until it was Karo who spoke up again. "Thanks for sharing this with us, sweetie. Your secret is safe with us. And please, do me one favour. Don't feel humiliated. And there is no need to act as if this is ridiculous. I can totally understand how you feel. That's probably the reason why you were giving Seth such a hard time at the beginning, right?"

"I feel so stupid for letting him suffer because of something that happened to me in the past. But I was afraid to trust again. I finally got my life back together. And there he was, stealing my heart. I just don't want him to replace me with someone. I'm afraid of him finding someone who is better than me. I don't want him to ever tell me he is bored with me...or even disgusted by me. I don't think I can handle that anymore," she said, now sniffling as a single tear escaped her eyes, running down her cheek.

"Seth loves you, babe. With all his heart. And if he's committed to someone, then you're not getting rid of him anymore. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but in your case I think it is. He's somebody who talks things through. And should there ever been anything bothering him, with you or your relationship, then he will come to you immediately," Shannon tried to soothe her, taking her hand into hers. "Now look at my son, he looks all sad seeing you cry. You don't want him to be cranky, do ya?"

Shannon wiped away her tears with her thumbs, surprised when all of a sudden Karo handed Dylan over to Maxine, the little boy staring at the light-green eyed woman intently, a smile spreading across his face when she caressed his velvet-like hair.

"He's gorgeous," she said quietly, placing a kiss on his forehead, confused when Shannon started chuckling.

"Can you do that again? I wanna take a picture of that and show it to Seth and Roman. He always punches them in the nose if they try kissing him," Shannon said, taking out her cell phone and waiting for Maxine to repeat the action.

She snapped the picture of Maxi kissing her son, added it into a text message to Roman and simply wrote: "Take that, motherfuckers."

Now that she had opened up to Shannon and Karo, and after having Dylan taken her into his heart, it was crystal clear that Maxine was a fully accepted member of their Shield clique.

And The Shield would never break up. No matter what was thrown their way. Believe that.

And believe in The Shield.


	11. Epilogue

**Here we go again…after our boys were on fire at Wrestlemaniaaaaaaaa! 2 – 0, baby! On jeez, was RAW fucking epic or what?!**

**Enjoy & review! :)**

**...**

**EPILOGUE**

_One year later_

_"SETH, can you come here real quick?" Maxine yelled desperately, her heart beating fast in her chest, her breath shallow._

_"I'll be right there," he yelled back, quickly throwing on a shirt before leaving the bedroom, rushing into the bathroom where his girlfriend's voice came from._

_A few months ago, they had decided to rent an apartment in Pensacola, always wanting to spend their time off together, not only just the two of them but their friends as well. It was too early for buying a house, they both knew it, so an apartment close to the beach would definitely do for the beginning._

_"What's up, angel?" he asked, a frown on his face when he saw the look in her eyes which were reflecting insecurity and even a little fear. "Baby, what's wrong?"_

_"Seth...we...we need to talk," she stuttered, running a shaky hand through her waist long, auburn hair. "Maybe you wanna sit down for a minute."_

_Seth looked confused when she pointed to the closed toilet lid, concerned when he realized just how tensed up and anxious she seemed to be._

_"Spill the beans, Maxi. I can't take that damn tension," he said through gritted teeth, expecting the worst._

_An uncomfortable silence fell over them, the only sounds audible her unsteady breathing. She made her way back to the sink, supporting herself with her hands while taking a look in the mirror. She was pale, really pale. And her eyes were blood-shot. She didn't recognize herself anymore._

_"Maxine..." he said warningly, eventually losing his patience with her, his heart pounding so loud he could hear it in his own ears._

_"Seth...I...uhm...let me get straight to the point. There is no need beating around the bush," she mumbled, sighing heavily and swallowing hard. "I...well...I think I'm pregnant."_

_If Seth wasn't sitting already, he would need to do so now. The fear of him fainting was definitely justified. He just looked at her with a blank expression on his face, not sure what to say. He was absolutely speechless. But the moment a sob escaped her lips, he was right back to reality._

_"Angel...why...how...I don't understand," he mumbled, getting up and quickly closing the distance between them, his arms automatically wrapping themselves around her shoulders, pulling her close so that her face was pressed against his well-toned chest._

_"I don't know...I wish I did...I'm so sorry," she sniffled, tear after tear streaming down her cheeks, wetting his grey shirt slightly._

_He gently let go of her, taking a step back before lifting her chin with his index finger, wanting her to look him in the eye. "What are you sorry for? There is no need to apologize here, angel. I'm as much into this as you are."_

_Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something lying in the sink, immediately attracting his attention._

_"I think I have a déjà vu," he said, chuckling when she gasped. "No...don't worry...I wasn't the expecting father. I was with Karo when she took the pregnancy tests when she was pregnant with Joshua. It's funny you took three of them as well."_

_"I wanted to make sure," she said quietly, relaxing a little when she realized that he seemed calm and collected. "So...uhm...you're not mad at me?"_

_Seth huffed and rolled his eyes playfully, raising his eyebrow at her as if he was asking her if she was nuts._

_"Why would I be? As I said before, I take full responsibility for my actions, and whether it was you being negligent with your pill or me bursting a condom, this is about you and me. It takes two to tango, right?" he explained, trying to soothe her with his words but deep down he knew he also said all of this to calm down himself._

_He would lie if he said he was happy about the news. It was way too early for them to have a baby. They were on the road constantly, just having moved in together. They wanted to enjoy their time as a couple, just the both of them, travelling all around the world, go out partying, drinking, having sex and just be careless. But if she was indeed pregnant, then all of this would be over instantly._

_"So...well...are they all positive then?" he asked, picking them up piece by piece, taking a deep breath when they all had a little blue line on their displays._

_"Yes, they are...all three of 'em," she replied, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. "But I think we need to make sure."_

And now here they were, sitting in Dr Matthews's waiting room, impatiently awaiting the doctor's assistant to call them in.

"Miss Lewis, the doctor is expecting you in room 2," the petite raven-haired girl said, a smile on her face when she held the door open for both Maxine and Seth, chuckling to herself when she saw how nervous they seemed to be. "This way, please."

She quickly led the way, knocking on a door before opening it just a few seconds later and letting them enter.

"Miss Lewis, Mister Rollins, please have a seat," the doctor said after getting up from his chair, extending his hand to both of them before all of them took seats around his massive wood desk. "What can I do for you today?"

Maxine looked at Seth unsure, feeling as if she couldn't come up with a coherent sentence. But Seth quickly took her hand into his, giving it a soft squeeze and nodding at her with an encouraging smile on his face.

"Well...uh...a few days ago I took some pregnancy tests as I haven't been feeling well the last couple of weeks. Normally I would say that this is in no way possible but well...we're all adults, we know it can always happen," she said, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"So, the tests were positive then, I suppose," the doctor said smiling, writing something down when she nodded her head yes. "Well, how about we find out for sure then?"

It was only a couple of minutes later that Maxine was lying on the examination table, her belly that seemed to be slightly swollen exposed now.

"So, this is gonna be a little cold now," he warned, squeezing some gel onto her tummy before finally letting the ultrasonic device roam over her skin, pushing it lightly here and there and pushing some buttons on the device's display.

Seth once again grabbed Maxine's hand and squeezed it, giving her a warm smile before turning his attention back to the doctor who seemed to be deeply concentrated.

"Okay...here we go..." he said, moving the device back and forth, printing out some pictures. "One thing is for sure: you two are definitely going to be parents. Congratulations."

Dr Matthews chuckled quietly when Seth and Maxine looked at each other with slight frowns on their faces, the expecting parents still unable to cope with the news they had just received. They should have been prepared before, the fact that the three pregnancy tests all had been positive making it obvious that she was expecting his baby.

"I'm sure you both need a few minutes to come to terms with all of this, but I have something else you two need to...well...process," the doctor stated, a smirk on his face when the parents-to-be looked at him confused.

"And what would that be?" Seth asked, suddenly afraid that something was wrong with the baby. "Is the baby sick? Is everything ok?"

"Oh, the baby is perfectly fine. But come a little closer, can you see this?" he pointed to the middle of the display, pushing the device into her skin a little more.

"Well, I do, but I'm not sure what to make out of it," Seth replied honestly, looking at Maxine who just shrugged her shoulders.

"Prepare yourself," Dr Matthews simply said, printing out one final picture before handing it over to Seth. "You two are expecting twins."

**...**

It took Seth and Maxine a couple of days to fathom that their lives would change significantly from now on. They all of a sudden were not only expecting one baby, but two at once. Twins. Out of nowhere.

"So you're sure you wanna tell them just yet? I'm only seven weeks' pregnant, Seth. There is so much more that can happen in the next few weeks," Maxine sighed when Seth parked his car in Roman's driveway, immediately shutting off the engine.

"Yes, I'm sure. I want them to know, they're my best friends. Our best friends. I'm sure Karo and Shannon will give you some advice on how to act during the pregnancy while I will pump Roman for information on how to be a good daddy," he said, frowning at her when she raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"What about Dean?" she asked jokingly, giggling when he rolled his eyes at her.

"I wanna be a loving father...not a crazy one," he answered, opening the door of his car and meeting Maxine on the passenger side, taking her hand into his and intertwining their fingers before eventually making their way to the front porch, knocking on the door once, then twice.

Just a few more moments later, Karo opened the door, a huge smile on her face when she welcomed them warmly, hugging both of them tightly before inviting them in.

"Roman and I thought you would come around to tell us you would break up but you two look too happy for that," she said giggling while leading the way to the living room, the sounds become louder and louder the closer they got.

Seth had called Roman and Dean the evening before, asking them for a little Shield reunion as he had an important announcement to make. While Dean simply accepted it, Roman tried everything in his power to get some information out of him. But Seth wouldn't give in.

As soon as Seth entered the living room, Leni immediately focused solely on him, a huge smile spreading across her face so that her pacifier fell out of her mouth, making everybody chuckle.

"Where's my little girl? Look at how big you are already," he said in a baby voice, making his way over to her before kneeling down, spreading his arms. "Come here, beautiful. Let's try this again."

Leni was holding onto the living room table for dear life, standing on wobbly legs, making funny noises as she was excited to see her Uncle Sethie.

She cautiously let go of the table and just a brief moment later fell flat on her diaper-covered behind, at first looking as if she would start crying but as soon as Seth placed butterfly kisses all over her face, she started giggling, grabbing his beard lovingly.

"And I see Dylan is still too lazy to start trying, huh?" Seth teased, picking up Leni before standing up again, looking at the little boy intently before making funny faces at him.

"He loves being with his mommy, right baby boy?" Shannon countered, kissing her son's cheek softly.

"He's too cool for that. One day he'll get up and simply start walking. And then I'll enroll him in a wrestling school right away," Dean said, sticking out his tongue at Leni who quickly hid her little face in the crook of Seth's neck, laughing.

"Okay okay, enough of that," Roman said, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "I'm too damn curious to know what you guys have to tell us."

He put an arm around Maxine's shoulders while Seth was cuddling with his daughter, looking at him expectantly.

"Oh yeah...uh...right, we were here to announce something," he chuckled nervously, turning his face slightly to whisper into Leni's ear. "You tell 'em, sweetheart."

"Sethie," Karo said impatiently, sitting down next to Shannon and Dean while the others kept standing. "Spit it out, now."

Seth looked at Maxine pleadingly, all of a sudden feeling slightly unsure about telling them. He knew they wouldn't judge them, quite the contrary, but this was big news and it would make him realize once again that his old, carefree life was over.

"You wanted to tell them, so you do it," Maxine insisted, apparently being able to read his thought.

"Yeah...fine...whatever," he mumbled, wanting to put Leni back onto the floor but she wouldn't let go of him. "So...uhm...where do I start?"

"Why don't you just get right to the point?" Maxine requested, feeling slightly uncomfortable as there was so much tension in the room that it was almost tangible.

"Whoa...okay...take a chill pill, woman. Fucking hormones already," he mumbled, the last few words inaudible. "Okay...here we go. Short and sweet: Maxine is pregnant. We're expecting twins."

Shannon and Karolina were the first ones to yelp, looking at each other before staring at Seth and Maxine in disbelief. Did they understand correctly?

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Dean said bluntly, shaking his head. "Are you fucking insane?"

Before Seth could get back at his friend, it was Roman who immediately saved the situation.

"Dean, would you for once stop being an asshole when somebody announces that they're expecting a baby. You did so with Joshua and even your own baby. So think before you act, ok?" he said through gritted teeth, sending his friend a death glare when he raised his hands in defence.

"Uh...was this planned?" Karo asked curiously, getting up and making her way over to him, taking Leni to make her sit on the ground again.

"No, it wasn't...it just...happened," he said with a shrug, both him and Karo looking over to Roman and Maxine who were hugging each other, small smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations, Sethie. I'm so happy for you," she whispered into his ear after wrapping her arms around his neck gently, hugging him tightly. "You'll be such an awesome daddy."

"Thank you, sweetheart. It's still a shock though. Twins...wow...that's just…unbelievable," he said after stepping out of the hug, taking both of her hands in his, smiling at her.

"I'm sure Leni will be so fucking jealous," Dean said with a chuckle, interrupting the conversation between the two best friends. "Congrats, man. Sorry for always being such a dick."

Seth fist-bumped his friend before embracing him, feeling how Dean patted his back, knowing that he was indeed happy for him, although he sometimes couldn't really show it.

"Seeethie, aw, we're so thrilled. Even Dylan is, right baby?" she asked her son, chuckling when Seth started tickling the little boy, making him laugh hysterically. "He just told me he wants you to have two boys."

"Oh really? Well, he should have told you earlier, then I would have kept on my socks while making love to my lady," Seth replied, trying to move closer to Dylan's head but the little guy automatically raised one of his fists. "He's so much like his dad."

"He wasn't wearing socks when he made that baby though, so shut up," Shannon scoffed, giggling when she wrapped one arm around Seth's shoulder, kissing his cheek softly.

This time it was Roman who interrupted them, sending Shannon and Dylan over to Maxine who was being hugged by Dean, both of them joking and laughing with each other.

"Twins, huh? If you do it, then you do it properly, right?" Roman asked, chuckling when Seth shrugged his shoulders innocently, a weak smile on his face. "Come here, my friend. You can't imagine how happy I am for the both of you. You know you don't have to worry about anything. You'll be just fine being a dad. The way you are with Leni shows me just that."

They both embraced each other, millions of thoughts running through their heads. So much had happened ever since they had met each other many years ago. It was a rocky road, sometimes so much that their friendship had almost died. But now here they were, all of them either parents or parents to be, and they couldn't be any happier.

"Thanks, big man. It means a lot to me," Seth replied, fist bumping his Samoan friend after letting go of him, both of them now looking at Karo and Maxine who were lost in a conversation, happy smiles on their faces.

"How far along are you?" Karo asked, taking over Dylan when Shannon joined them. "You're not really showing yet."

"About seven weeks. I can still hide it very well. But damn, morning sickness is a bitch," she mumbled, frowning slightly.

"PREACH," both Shannon and Karolina said simultaneously, all three ladies bursting out laughing which made Dylan clap his hands in joy.

"God, I still can't get over the fact how gorgeous he is," Maxine swooned, pinching Dylan's little dimples. "So precious."

"Okay, that confuses me. My son is a spitting image of my boyfriend. Is there anything you wanna tell me?" Shannon asked teasingly, shrieking when all of a sudden Dean wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Yeah, is there anything you wanna tell her?" Dean asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Maxine, making her blush. "But hey, I don't do pregnant woman. At least not when it's not my kid. Sorry, doll-face. Maybe next time."

"Will he ever grow up?" Karolina asked no one in particular, sighing playfully when they all shook their heads no. "Thought so. Why don't you all sit down? I'll get us something to drink."

And with that Karo handed Dylan to Maxine and turned around to make her way into the kitchen, still totally shocked about the fact that Seth and Maxine were expecting twins. But she was really happy for them. It would intensify their relationship even more. That's what babies did. At least that was the case with her and Roman ever since Leni was born.

"Hey babygirl, can I help you with something?" Roman asked out of nowhere, startling his wife who held her chest in shock, making him chuckle. "Feeling guilty for anything or why so startled?"

She just smiled at him before bending down to get a few bottles of water and juice out of the fridge, taking a deep breath when Roman suddenly stood right behind her, pressing his crotch against her ass and grabbing her hips tightly.

"Roman..." she whispered, trailing off when he rubbed himself against her. "Not now."

She carefully straightened up again, her back now pressed against his strong chest.

"I just had an idea," he whispered into her ear, nibbling on her earlobe while wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Oh really? And what is that?" she asked almost breathlessly, her man's high sex drive making her crazy.

He quickly spun her around so that they were face to face, the look in his eyes not only full of lust but sincerity as well.

"Babygirl..." he whispered, his lips mere inches from hers, her forehead pressed against his while they were looking deep into each other's eyes. "Let's try for another baby."

**The end (for now)**

**With each and every sequel I'm writing, it's getting harder and harder to end them. This story/series means so much to me and I'm so thankful for all the support you've given me ever since I started writing it last year.**

**You all have always encouraged and supported me throughout this story and I can't thank you enough. And FINALLY Seth has also found his happy end ;-)**

**I especially want to thank the following people:**

**pezziecoyote, ShannonTheAwesomeOne, mrsrkoshield, rrsexybeast, melzabelza, Insane Cali Gurl, Shannon5288, benova13, Anban-AJD-BryOrtonShield, princessreigns, RollinsInTheDean, CFierce116, DeeMarie426, DaShadowAngel, SiennaS, mslisagarrett, Punkedbyambrose, , Lilygirl95, LindaPipeBomb, CheekyClaudine, AliMelinda, Rammy889, Natalia Reigns, ramenreignss, Kinley Orton-Reigns, Nikita, ChelleLew, Super-GeekGoddess101, typhoidcandy, MoxleyLeakee173, Ashleymcd25, coveninthemurderhouse and everyone else that has reviewed or given me feedback. YOU ARE AMAZING! (I hope I didn't forget anyone)**

**_PLEASE NOTE:_****_ This is _****_not_****_ the end for _****_Seth and Maxine, _****_Karolina and Roman with Leni _****_or _****_Dean and Shannon with Dylan_****_. There will be another sequel, the final one, starring _****_all of them _****_which will probably start in the coming weeks. So keep your eyes open and watch out for another story called "Justice always wins."_**


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